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The doves and pigeons is one of the most widely recognised bird families, that
include some 308 species, of which there are about 25 in Australia (3 introduced
species). The term dove and pigeon are often applied to specific species, and in
ornithological usage, there is a tendency for the term ‘dove’ to be applied to
the smaller species and ‘pigeon’ being applied to the larger species, although
there is no consistency in its application. The term ‘pigeon’ has today been
applied to the feral Rock Pigeon (Columba livia), common in many cities
around the world. This pigeon is also known by the name ‘feral pigeon’ and
‘domestic pigeon’.
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