Black-winged Ground Dove vs Rock Pigeon
Metriopelia melanoptera compared with Columba livia
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Black-winged Ground Dove | Rock Pigeon |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Metriopelia melanoptera | Columba livia |
| Order | Columbiformes | Columbiformes |
| Family | Columbidae | Columbidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | 33.0 cm (13.0 in) |
| Wingspan | 26.1 cm (10.3 in) | 68.0 cm (26.8 in) |
| Weight | 102.21666666666665 g (3.61 oz) | 300.0 g (10.58 oz) |
| Diet | -- | Seeds, grain, fruit, and human food scraps. Primarily a ground feeder. Feral birds are heavily … |
| Clutch Size | 2 | 2 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Rock Pigeon
Originally cliff-nesting in Mediterranean regions. Now the quintessential urban bird, inhabiting cities worldwide on every continent.
Song & Call Comparison
Black-winged Ground Dove
Soft, gentle cooing with black-winged tone; pure notes typical of Andean high-altitude open terrain.
Rock Pigeon
Soft, rhythmic cooing 'roo-c'too-coo' repeated multiple times, with emphasis on second syllable. Male courtship coo is deeper and more persistent. Wing-clapping on takeoff is loud.
Geographic Range & Migration
Black-winged Ground Dove
Rock Pigeon
Native to Europe, North Africa, and South Asia. Feral populations on every continent except Antarctica.
Conservation Status
Black-winged Ground Dove
Rock Pigeon
How to Tell Them Apart
Black-winged Ground Dove
Bridled Quail-Dove: brown above; pale buff below; black-white bridled facial pattern; bare blue-gray facial skin; Caribbean endemic
Rock Pigeon
Wild-type has a blue-grey body with iridescent green and purple neck feathers, two black wing bars, and a white rump. Feral populations show enormous color variation.
Slender dark bill with a white fleshy cere at the base
About These Birds
Black-winged Ground Dove
Small dove, 21–25 cm, with grey plumage, a pale bare facial ring, and broad black wings visible in flight. Inhabits open high-Andean puna and rocky hillsides from Peru and Bolivia to Chile and Argentina, at elevations from 2,000 to 5,000 m. Granivore of seeds. Least Concern.
Rock Pigeon
The rock pigeon is the ancestor of all domestic pigeon breeds and one of the most abundant birds in cities worldwide. Pigeons have served humans as messengers, food, and subjects for scientific research — their homing ability and vision have been studied extensively. Darwin's study of pigeon breeding contributed to his theory of evolution.