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The word “dove” might make you think of an elegant bird symbolizing peace, while the word “pigeon” might bring up images of rowdy flocks of city birds. But there’s no formal distinction between doves and pigeons, only a linguistic one. In many languages, the birds are one and the same. The dove and pigeon family includes some of the most beautiful birds in the world.
Today’s show brought to you by the Bobolink Foundation.
BirdNote®
Dove or Pigeon?
Written by Bob Sundstrom
This is BirdNote.
“Dove” and “pigeon” may bring different images to mind. Doves seem elegant, bringers of peace.
[Mourning Dove song, ML 22930 W. Fish)
Pigeons, particularly the rowdy flocks of city birds, may seem… less appealing.
[Rock Pigeon wing flaps, https://www.xeno-canto.org/611438]
But despite these associations, there is no formal distinction between doves and pigeons, only a linguistic one. The word “pigeon” came into the English language from French, while “dove” came from Nordic languages. In many languages, the birds are one and the same.
And the family is a lot bigger and more diverse than just the common North American varieties: there are 308 species of doves and pigeons, including some of the most beautiful and colorful birds in the world.
[Victoria Crowned-Pigeon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QTnNqngFg]
The silver and purple Victoria Crowned-Pigeon of New Guinea is the world’s largest, nearly two and a half feet long. At the small end are several species of ground-doves of the American tropics, measuring six inches — not much bigger than a sparrow — and ranging from bright cinnamon-brown to dark blue.
[ground dove/Inca Dove sp. https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/140228#_ga=2.98992920.784469730.16164…]
Call them what you like — they are a fabulous group of birds.
For BirdNote, I’m Michael Stein.
Today’s show brought to you by the Bobolink Foundation.
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Senior Producer: John Kessler
Production Manager: Allison Wilson
Producer: Mark Bramhill
Associate Producer: Ellen Blackstone
Digital Producer: Conor Gearin
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Rock Pigeon Xeno Canto 611438 recorded by U. Paal, and ground dove/Inca Dove sp. ML 140228 recorded by G. Vyn., Mourning Dove ML22930 recorded by W. Fish
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2021 BirdNote July 2021 / December 2023 Narrator: Michael Stein
ID# dove-pigeon-01-2021-7-6 dove-pigeon-01
Reference:
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/554182/what-is-difference-between-p…
Bob Sundstrom
Writer
Michael Stein
NarratorSights & Sounds
