email a friend
printable version
closeLC
Rock Pigeon Columba livia
IUCN Red List history
| Year | Category |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Least Concern |
| 2009 | Least Concern |
| 2008 | Least Concern |
| 2004 | Least Concern |
| 2000 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| 1994 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| 1988 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
Species attributes
| Migratory status | not a migrant | Forest dependency | Does not normally occur in forest |
| Land mass type | Average mass | - |
Distribution
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence breeding/resident (km2) | 17,400,000 | medium |
| Number of locations | - | |
| Fragmentation | - |
Population & trend
| Estimate | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of mature individuals | poor | Estimated | 2009 | |
| Population trend | Decreasing | - | ||
| Number of subpopulations | - | - | - | |
| Largest subpopulation | - | - | - | |
| Generation length (yrs) | 5.8 | - | - | - |
| Population justification: The global population is estimated to number c.260,000,000 individuals (Rich et al. 2004), while the population in China has been estimated at < c.100 breeding pairs (possibly introduced) (Brazil 2009). | ||||
| Trend justification: The population size is suspected to be decreasing owing to interbreeding with domestic form; declines have been recorded in Israel (del Hoyo et al. 1997). | ||||
Country/Territory distribution
| Country/Territory | Occurrence status | Extinct | Breeding | Non-breeding | Passage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | Native | No | |||
| Albania | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Algeria | Native | No | |||
| American Samoa | Introduced | No | |||
| Andorra | Native | No | |||
| Angola | Introduced | No | Yes | ||
| Anguilla (to UK) | Introduced | No | |||
| Antigua and Barbuda | Introduced | No | |||
| Argentina | Introduced | No | |||
| Armenia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Aruba (to Netherlands) | Introduced | No | |||
| Australia | Introduced | No | Yes | ||
| Austria | Native | No | |||
| Azerbaijan | Native | No | |||
| Bahamas | Introduced | No | |||
| Bahrain | Introduced | No | |||
| Bangladesh | Introduced | No | Yes | ||
| Barbados | Introduced | No | |||
| Belarus | Native | No | |||
| Belgium | Native | No | |||
| Belize | Introduced | No | |||
| Bermuda (to UK) | Introduced | No | |||
| Bhutan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Bolivia | Introduced | No | |||
| Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba (to Netherlands) | Introduced | No | |||
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Botswana | Introduced | No | |||
| Brazil | Introduced | No | |||
| Brunei | Introduced | No | Yes | ||
| Bulgaria | Native | No | |||
| Burkina Faso | Introduced | No | |||
| Cambodia | Introduced | No | Yes | ||
| Canada | Introduced | No | |||
| Cape Verde | Native | No | |||
| Cayman Islands (to UK) | Introduced | No | |||
| Côte d'Ivoire | Introduced | No | |||
| Chad | Native | No | |||
| Chile | Introduced | No | |||
| China (mainland) | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Colombia | Introduced | No | |||
| Comoros | Introduced | No | |||
| Congo, The Democratic Republic of the | Introduced | No | |||
| Cook Islands | Introduced | No | |||
| Costa Rica | Introduced | No | |||
| Croatia | Native | No | |||
| Cuba | Introduced | No | |||
| Curaçao (to Netherlands) | Introduced | No | |||
| Cyprus | Native | No | |||
| Czech Republic | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Denmark | Introduced | No | |||
| Djibouti | Introduced | No | Yes | ||
| Dominica | Introduced | No | |||
| Dominican Republic | Introduced | No | |||
| Ecuador | Introduced | No | |||
| Egypt | Native | No | |||
| El Salvador | Introduced | No | |||
| Eritrea | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Estonia | Native | No | |||
| Ethiopia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Faroe Islands (to Denmark) | Native | No | |||
| Fiji | Introduced | No | |||
| Finland | Native | No | Yes | ||
| France | Native | No | |||
| French Guiana | Introduced | No | |||
| French Polynesia | Introduced | No | Yes | ||
| Gabon | Introduced | No | |||
| Gambia | Introduced | No | |||
| Georgia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Germany | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Ghana | Introduced | No | |||
| Gibraltar (to UK) | Introduced | No | Yes | ||
| Greece | Native | No | |||
| Grenada | Introduced | No | |||
| Guadeloupe (to France) | Introduced | No | |||
| Guam (to USA) | Introduced | No | Yes | ||
| Guatemala | Introduced | No | |||
| Guinea | Introduced | No | |||
| Guinea-Bissau | Introduced | No | |||
| Guyana | Introduced | No | |||
| Haiti | Introduced | No | |||
| Honduras | Introduced | No | |||
| Hong Kong (China) | Introduced | No | |||
| Hungary | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Iceland | Native | No | |||
| India | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Indonesia | Introduced | No | Yes | ||
| Iran, Islamic Republic of | Native | No | |||
| Iraq | Native | No | |||
| Ireland | Native | No | |||
| Israel | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Italy | Native | No | |||
| Jamaica | Introduced | No | |||
| Japan | Introduced | No | |||
| Jordan | Native | No | |||
| Kazakhstan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Kenya | Introduced | No | |||
| Kiribati | Introduced | No | |||
| Kuwait | Introduced | No | |||
| Kyrgyzstan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Laos | Introduced | No | Yes | ||
| Latvia | Native | No | |||
| Lebanon | Native | No | |||
| Lesotho | Introduced | No | Yes | ||
| Liberia | Introduced | No | |||
| Libya | Native | No | |||
| Liechtenstein | Introduced | No | Yes | ||
| Lithuania | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Luxembourg | Native | No | |||
| Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of | Native | No | |||
| Madagascar | Introduced | No | |||
| Malaysia | Introduced | No | Yes | ||
| Maldives | Introduced | No | Yes | ||
| Mali | Native | No | |||
| Malta | Native | No | |||
| Marshall Islands | Unknown | No | |||
| Martinique (to France) | Introduced | No | |||
| Mauritania | Native | No | |||
| Mauritius | Introduced | No | Yes | ||
| Mayotte (to France) | Introduced | No | |||
| Mexico | Introduced | No | |||
| Micronesia, Federated States of | Introduced | No | |||
| Moldova | Native | No | |||
| Monaco | Native | No | |||
| Mongolia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Montenegro | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Montserrat (to UK) | Introduced | No | |||
| Morocco | Native | No | |||
| Mozambique | Introduced | No | Yes | ||
| Myanmar | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Namibia | Introduced | No | Yes | ||
| Nauru | Introduced | No | Yes | ||
| Nepal | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Netherlands | Introduced | No | |||
| New Caledonia (to France) | Introduced | No | |||
| New Zealand | Introduced | No | Yes | ||
| Nicaragua | Introduced | No | |||
| Niger | Introduced | No | |||
| Nigeria | Introduced | No | |||
| North Korea | Introduced | No | |||
| Northern Mariana Islands (to USA) | Introduced | No | Yes | ||
| Norway | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Oman | Native | No | |||
| Pakistan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Palestinian Authority Territories | Native | No | |||
| Panama | Introduced | No | |||
| Papua New Guinea | Introduced | No | |||
| Paraguay | Introduced | No | |||
| Peru | Introduced | No | |||
| Poland | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Portugal | Native | No | |||
| Puerto Rico (to USA) | Introduced | No | |||
| Qatar | Native | No | |||
| Réunion (to France) | Introduced | No | |||
| Romania | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Russia (Asian) | Introduced | No | Yes | ||
| Russia (Central Asian) | Native | No | |||
| Russia (European) | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Samoa | Introduced | No | |||
| San Marino | Native | No | |||
| Saudi Arabia | Native | No | |||
| São Tomé e Príncipe | Introduced | No | |||
| Senegal | Introduced | No | |||
| Serbia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Seychelles | Introduced | No | Yes | ||
| Singapore | Introduced | No | Yes | ||
| Sint Maarten (to Netherlands) | Introduced | No | |||
| Slovakia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Slovenia | Native | No | |||
| Somalia | Introduced | No | Yes | ||
| South Africa | Introduced | No | Yes | ||
| South Korea | Introduced | No | |||
| Spain | Native | No | |||
| Sri Lanka | Introduced | No | |||
| St Helena (to UK) | Introduced | No | Yes | ||
| St Kitts and Nevis | Introduced | No | |||
| St Lucia | Introduced | No | |||
| St Martin (to France) | Introduced | No | |||
| St Pierre and Miquelon (to France) | Introduced | No | |||
| St Vincent and the Grenadines | Introduced | No | |||
| Sudan | Native | No | |||
| Suriname | Introduced | No | |||
| Swaziland | Introduced | No | Yes | ||
| Sweden | Native | No | |||
| Switzerland | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Syria | Native | No | |||
| Taiwan (China) | Introduced | No | |||
| Tajikistan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Thailand | Introduced | No | Yes | ||
| Timor-Leste | Introduced | No | |||
| Togo | Introduced | No | |||
| Tonga | Introduced | No | |||
| Trinidad and Tobago | Introduced | No | |||
| Tunisia | Native | No | |||
| Turkey | Native | No | |||
| Turkmenistan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Turks and Caicos Islands (to UK) | Introduced | No | |||
| Uganda | Introduced | No | |||
| Ukraine | Native | No | |||
| United Arab Emirates | Native | No | |||
| United Kingdom | Native | No | |||
| United States Minor Outlying Islands (to USA) | Introduced | No | Yes | ||
| Uruguay | Introduced | No | |||
| USA | Introduced | No | Yes | ||
| Uzbekistan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Venezuela | Introduced | No | |||
| Vietnam | Introduced | No | Yes | ||
| Virgin Islands (to UK) | Introduced | No | |||
| Virgin Islands (to USA) | Introduced | No | |||
| Wallis and Futuna Islands (to France) | Introduced | No | |||
| Western Sahara | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Yemen | Native | No | |||
| Zambia | Introduced | No | Yes | ||
| Zimbabwe | Introduced | No | Yes |
Habitats & altitude
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Arable Land | suitable | resident |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Pastureland | suitable | resident |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Subtropical/Tropical Heavily Degraded Former Forest | major | resident |
| Caves and Subterranean Habitats (non-aquatic) | Caves | suitable | resident |
| Rocky areas (eg. inland cliffs, mountain peaks) | suitable | resident | |
| Altitude | 0 - 4500 m | Occasional altitudinal limits |
Utilisation
| Purpose | Primary form used | Life stage used | Source | Scale | Level | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pets | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | Subsistence, National | Non-trivial | Recent |
| Food (human) | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | Subsistence, National | Non-trivial | Recent |
| Pets | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | International | Non-trivial | Recent |
| Sport | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | Subsistence, National | Non-trivial | Recent |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2013) Species factsheet: Columba livia. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 20/06/2013.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2013) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 20/06/2013.
This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.
To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife
To contribute to discussions on the evaluation of the IUCN Red List status of Globally Threatened Birds, please visit BirdLife's Globally Threatened Bird Forums.
| Key facts | |
|---|---|
| Current IUCN Red List category | Least Concern |
| Family | Columbidae (Doves and pigeons) |
| Species name author | Gmelin, 1789 |
| Population size | mature individuals |
| Population trend | Decreasing |
| Distribution size (breeding/resident) | 17,400,000 km2 |
| Country endemic? | No |
| Links to further information | |
|
- Summary information on this species - Climate change species distributions | |
|
|