Rock Pigeon (Rock Dove, City Pigeon)

This feather belongs to the Rock Pigeon, a stout-bodied bird with a small head and short legs. While classic wild types are bluish-gray with two black wing bars, feral populations display a massive range of colors from white to deep checkered browns. They are known for their strong, direct flight and their characteristic 'coo' vocalization.

Uniform pale gray to off-white plumage. The rachis is a similar light tone. This coloration is typical for 'pied' or lighter color morphs of the domestic/feral Rock Pigeon common in urban areas.

Pennaceous; the barbs are tightly interlocked for aerodynamics, though the distal tip shows some fraying and separation of the barbules.

Smooth and somewhat stiff; the surface has a matte appearance with a slightly 'dusty' feel characteristic of the powder down produced by pigeons.

Soft gray/white coloration, broad rounded tip, relative stiffness of a flight feather, and the absence of distinct banding or terminal bars found in similar-sized hawks or owls.

Extremely varied; found in rocky cliffs (original habitat) but now ubiquitous in urban, suburban, and agricultural areas where tall buildings or silos mimic cliffs.

Globally distributed; a year-round resident throughout North America, including Bend, Oregon, except for the high Arctic.

In urban environments, they serve as a primary food source for raptors like Peregrine Falcons and Cooper’s Hawks. They are also prodigious scavengers.

Mourning Dove (smaller, more tapered, tan/buff color) or a light-colored Eurasian Collared-Dove (smaller and thinner).

Pigeons are one of the few birds that can produce 'pigeon milk'—a secretion from the crop used to feed their young. They are also famous for their homing ability, using magnetoreception to navigate.

Fair to Good. There is noticeable wear at the tip and some separation of the barbs (gapping), likely from natural wear-and-tear or the molt process.

Bend, Oregon