Speckled Pigeon

Distribution

The speckled pigeon (Columba guinea), or (African) rock pigeon, is a pigeon that is a resident breeding bird in much of Africa south of the Sahara.

Diet

These birds eat a diet mainly made up of seeds, from both native and cultivated grasses. The main crops consumed are maize, wheat and sorghum. In addition to seeds, land molluscs like snails are also eaten.

Information

This is a large pigeon at 41 cm in length. Its back and wings are rufous, the latter heavily speckled with white spots. The rest of the upperparts and underparts are blue-grey, and the head is grey with red patches around the eye. The neck is brownish, streaked with white, and the legs are red. Sexes are similar, but immatures are browner than adults and lack the red eye patches. The call is a loud doo-doo-doo.

Speckled Pigeon

Other birds