Invasive Species, Rock Dove

Invasive Species : The case of the Rock Dove (Columba livia (Author 's Full Name (Course ID /Title (Instructor 's Full Name (Date Submitted

Invasive Species : The case of the Rock Dove (Columba livia

The Rock Pigeon has become a common sight for people living in urban areas around the world . The species was introduced in North America early during the 1600 's and it has become common in terms of frequency and habitat . Rock pigeon or Columba livia belongs to the Animalia kingdom , Chordata phylum , Aves class , Columbidae family , and the genus Columba

. Specialists usually determine the rock dove species based on its outward characteristics (Roof , Columba livia . The species encompass several known phenotypes and groups wherein a rock dove species is determined . Wild Columba livia are historically native in Europe , North Africa and Southwest Asia regions and has migrated and populated in several regions thereafter (Roof , Columba livia . A rock dove is usually described with dark bluish-gray head , and the neck , chest , and following the wing feathers having yellow , green or sometimes red to purple color (Roof , Columba livia . Females have less iridescence color than the males and the bill of the rock dove is dark grayish-pink with mostly dark two bands across its wings and bluish-gray band across its tail (Roof , Columba livia

Feral pigeons are commonly seen in North America and although it is said to be common , its distribution over the region varies . Feral pigeons often inhabits in old buildings , skyscrapers and rooftops . In rural areas , they can be seen inhabiting farm buildings . Wild rock doves on the other hand prefer to take natural cliffs as their habitat , or any area near agricultural lands or open shrub vegetation . This ensures availability of food for the species (Roof , Columba livia

On the average a rock dove would weigh about 358 .70 grams and has a hatching time of 19 days which explains its large population . Both male and female species become sexually or reproductively mature in 140 days on the average (Roof , Columba livia . The reproduction activity of the rock doves involves a partnership which is determined as a long lasting partnership between pairs . Rock doves are mainly seeds eater . But in the cities were feral pigeons inhabit the most , their diet would usually contain what normal people eat such as fruits and bread (Roof , Columba livia

The species has both positive and negative importance in human activities . On the positive side , rock doves can be eaten and best used in laboratory research since they are numerous and can be found almost everywhere . Feral pigeons are usually domesticated and research laboratories prefer to use the species when studying flight mechanisms thermoregulation , and even explore Darwin 's evolutionary theory

However , in the case of rock doves , over the years research has determined how the species is considered as an invasive species due to it natural characteristics (Brown and Sax , 2004 . Invasive species are considered as a serious threat to the environment and biodiversity of species in a given...