Rock Pigeon Gallery

Columba livia

eBird provides this description for the Rock Pigeon:  Large dove common in cities, farmland, and on grain elevators around the world. Wild birds often nest on cliffs, while the feral variety has readily adapted to nest on tall structures including skyscrapers and bridges. Wide array of feral and domestic color varieties; most are gray but can be completely black, white, or orangey-brown.  All About Birds adds this descriptive information for the Rock Pigeon:  A common sight in cities around the world, Rock Pigeons crowd streets and public squares, living on discarded food and offerings of birdseed. In addition to the typical blue-gray bird with two dark wingbars, you’ll often see flocks with plain, spotted, pale, or rusty-red birds in them. Introduced to North America from Europe in the early 1600s, city pigeons nest on buildings and window ledges. In the countryside they also nest on barns and grain towers, under bridges, and on natural cliffs.

I had seen Rock Pigeons many times and many places, but I needed some photos for my Life List.  On the morning of November 7, 2020, I was in New Braunfels running errands (checking my mother-in-law’s mail) and I noticed a number of Rock Pigeons on top of the Christus Santa Rosa on Common Street.  I stopped and took some pictures for this page and a couple of them are posted below.