Columbidae

Columbidae is the bird family comprising pigeons and doves. Its members typically have compact bodies, short necks, and bills adapted for drinking by suction.

Columbiformes: The bird order that includes the pigeon and dove family, Columbidae. Columbidae is the sole living family in this order.
Pigeon homing: The ability of pigeons to return to a home site after being transported elsewhere. Homing pigeons use this ability to navigate over long distances.
Rock dove: A pigeon species native to Eurasia and North Africa that includes the ancestor of domestic pigeons. Its domesticated descendants became familiar in cities worldwide.
Dove: A common name for Columbidae species, often used for smaller or lighter-bodied kinds. Doves belong to the same family as pigeons; the names do not mark separate taxonomic groups.
Bird: A warm-blooded vertebrate with feathers, a beak, and forelimbs evolved as wings. Pigeons and doves share the defining features of birds.
Magnetoreception: The detection of magnetic fields by an organism for orientation or navigation. Earth’s magnetic field is one cue investigated in pigeon navigation.
Domestic pigeon: A domesticated form of the rock dove bred for traits including homing, appearance, and utility. Selective breeding produced the many pigeon varieties associated with people.
Sandgrouse: A family of arid-region birds in the order Pterocliformes, distinct from pigeons and doves. Sandgrouse were once grouped with columbids but are now classified in a separate order.
Crop milk: A nutritious secretion produced by the crop of some birds to feed their young. Both parents of many pigeon species produce it for their squabs.
Olfactory navigation: Navigation that uses environmental odors as cues to determine direction or location. Experiments indicate that odors can help homing pigeons build navigational maps.

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