Question

Classification of
a bird (pigeon) to specie level

Answer 1

Pigeons are gentle, plump, small-billed birds with a skin saddle (cere) between the bill and forehead. All pigeons strut about with a characteristic bobbing of the head. Because of their long wings and powerful flight muscles, they are strong, swift fliers. Pigeons are monogamous; i.e., they mate for life, and the survivor accepts a new mate only slowly. The female lays two glossy white eggs in a flimsy nest that barely holds them. The female generally incubates the eggs by night, the male by day. The incubation period is 14 to 19 days, but the young are cared for in the nest for another 12 to 18 days.

Homing pigeons (Colomba livia) possess a group of neurons that are used to help the birds process changes in the direction, intensity, and polarity of magnetic fields around them. The sensitivity of the pigeons to these physical properties allows them to determine their directional heading and altitude by using Earth’s magnetic field. The identity of the physical structure within the pigeon’s body that collects this magnetic field information and sends it to the brain remains unknown, but some scientists suspect that it may lie within the inner ear.