Rodrigues Solitaire vs Rock Pigeon
Pezophaps solitaria compared with Columba livia
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Rodrigues Solitaire | Rock Pigeon |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Pezophaps solitaria | Columba livia |
| Order | Columbiformes | Columbiformes |
| Family | Columbidae | Columbidae |
| Conservation Status | Extinct | Least Concern |
| Length | — | 33.0 cm (13.0 in) |
| Wingspan | — | 68.0 cm (26.8 in) |
| Weight | 22500.0 g (793.66 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 | 1 | 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
Rodrigues Solitaire
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
Rodrigues Solitaire
Rock Pigeon
Native to Europe, North Africa, and South Asia. Feral populations on every continent except Antarctica.
Conservation Status
Rodrigues Solitaire
Rock Pigeon
How to Tell Them Apart
Rodrigues Solitaire
Rodrigues Solitaire: extinct; large; gray-brown; flightless; wing knobs used in combat; bare facial skin; Rodrigues island; lost
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
Rodrigues Solitaire
Extinct flightless pigeon of Rodrigues Island, 70–90 cm and up to 28 kg. Sexually dimorphic; males bore bony wing knobs used in combat. Fed on fruits and seeds on the forest floor. Extinct by ~1730–1760 CE following human settlement and introduced pigs, rats, and cats. Closely related to the Dodo and Nicobar Pigeon.
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.