Dove

Dove Temporal range: Early Miocene–recent[1] PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Pink-necked green pigeon
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Clade:	Columbimorphae
Order:	Columbiformes Latham, 1790
Family:	Columbidae Leach, 1820
Subfamilies
See text
Geographic range of the family Columbidae

Pigeons or doves are the bird family Columbidae.

The common names pigeon and dove are often used interchangeably. In ornithology, "dove" tends to be used for smaller species and "pigeon" for larger ones. The wild ancestor of the domestic pigeon is the "rock dove". The feral pigeon is common in many cities.

There are more than 300 species in the family. They usually make nests of sticks, and their two white eggs are incubated by both the male and the female parent. Doves feed on seeds, fruit and plants.

Unlike most other birds, the doves and pigeons produce a type of milk. It is produced in their crop, and called crop milk. Both sexes have this highly nutritious milk to feed their young.^[2]

1. ↑ Farner, Donald (2012). Avian Biology. Elsevier. ISBN 978-0-323-15799-5.
2. ↑ "dove (bird) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia". britannica.com. Retrieved 23 May 2010.