Rock Dove

Rock Dove (Columba livia) is the wild ancestor of domestic and feral pigeons, naturally blue-grey with two black wing bars and a white rump. The combination of body shape, bill structure, plumage pattern and voice provides the most useful field characters. Age, sex and season can alter its appearance, so identification should use several features rather than colour alone. This supports comparison with similar species in the field (Wikipedia, general species account).

It nests on cliffs and ledges and feeds mainly on seeds, with urban structures closely replicating its natural rock habitat. Its movements and social behaviour vary through the year, with breeding birds generally more dispersed and non-breeding birds more likely to gather where food is concentrated. Japanese records place it within the country's documented avifauna as a resident, migrant, visitor or introduced bird (Wikipedia, general species account; Wildlife of Japan occurrence records).