What is the difference between a Dove and a Pigeon?
Crested Pigeon - Photo by Ed Dunens | Flickr
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This is one of the simplest questions to answer as they are the same thing, the words “Dove” and “Pigeon” are interchangeable and all belong to the family Columbidae but as a guide the smaller ones we normally called doves and the larger ones pigeon but not always.
As you can see from the Facebook post some people will still not believe it as they believe things like pigeons have longer legs, doves are more fluffed up and the funnest one was “They also have different size beaks for eating different types of seeds, some pigeons can also eat fruit where doves will not. Pigeons are also classed as domesticated and doves are wild”. My response was simple, “What does the Purple-crowned fruit dove eat? Are Crested Pigeons domesticated?” Her response didn’t even back up her first statement, “You still have not justified how they’re the same. Fruit doves are a wild bird where pigeons have been domesticated for bonkers! I mentioned that above".
As you can see by the name of the Purple-crowned fruit dove some “doves” eat fruit, if you have a look at the list of fruit doves on Wikipedia you will see just how many there are. The Wompoo fruit dove is one of the larger fruit doves measuring around 45cm in length, the homing pigeon is only about 36cm so size is not a true guide for what to call them. 
Wompoo Frurt-Dove - Photo by
Dominic Sherony | Flickr
The Crested Pigeon is one of many native Australian pigeons that you will see all over Australia, Yes, in the wild but we do also keep most of our native doves and pigeons in our aviaries.
The scariest thing about this person's comments is that she said she was a wildlife carer. I would think as a wildlife carer you would know about our wildlife and be open to learning new things. As for explaining how they are the same it was not easy as they are the same, you try explaining to someone why you think two things are the same. If you think that I'm wrong then please email me with links so I can correct the information, Thank you.
- Dale Cray |
The following Facebook comment and the replies were on a photo of a baby dove and the poster was asking for an ID. I'm Dale.
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