Revision of some mensural measurements, food preference, and haematological parameters in breeding pairs of blue rock pigeon, Columba livia sampled from punjab Pakistan

The present study describes the haematological profile, feeding preference, and comparison of morphometric characters of blue rock pigeon (Columba livia) breeding pairs. For this purpose, 25 pairs (25 samples per sex) were sampled through Mist nets from district Okara and Bahawalnagar, Punjab, Pakistan. Birds were then anaesthetized with a combination of ketamine HCL (10 mg/kg) and diazepam (0.2 mg/kg) and subjected to morphometric measurements. 5µL blood also was taken from the jugular vein of each anaesthetized bird for haematological analysis. Few pairs were also dissected to remove gastrointestinal tracts (GITs) for food preferences. Results revealed that there are no significant differences in the haematological parameters and feeding preference of breeding pairs of Columba livia. The gut analysis further revealed, the major portion of gut contents consisted of pea and corn in most of the pairs. Regarding the mensural measurements, significant differences were recorded in the body weight, length of the longest primary feather, and chest circumference, whereas the rest of the studied parameters remain nonsignificant between sexes. So, it is concluded that apart from 3 morphometric parameters (body weight, length of longest primary feather and chest circumference), both sexes are alike in term of morphometry, haematology and food preference.

Prevalence and diversity of ectoparasites in Wild Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) in Punjab region, Pakistan

The current study was carried out to estimate the prevalence and diversity of ectoparasites in rock pigeons in different regions of Punjab, Pakistan. A total of 120 birds were captured from March 2017 to February 2019. The ectoparasites were collected by standard procedures and preserved in 70% ethanol containing one drop of glycerin. Data related to age, health status, sex, type of area, sampling location and season were collected using a standardized form. Ectoparasites were identified based on morphological characteristics by using identification keys. Ninety-six (80%) birds were infested with ectoparasites. A total of seven families and thirteen species of different ectoparasites were observed. Mainly, seven species of lice, two species of flies, one species of tick and three species of mites were recovered from infested birds. The female pigeons were more often infested (89.02%) than male pigeons (60.52%). The prevalence was found higher during summer (100%) as compared to other seasons. The infestation rate was higher in Industrial area (97.50%) as compared to other regions. The highest prevalence of ectoparasites (100%) was recorded from Sargodha district. There was significant (P < 0.05) variation among number of ectoparasites on wing, chest, tail and neck within age groups, seasons and ecological zones. The occurrence of parasites in relation to area, age, health status, sex and season were significant. The infestation rate of parasites in rock pigeon is high in different districts of Punjab. It is recommended that these wild birds infested with multiple species of ectoparasites could be the potential source of infestations in domesticated birds if they come in contact with them. The contact of domesticated birds should be prevented from wild birds to minimize the chance of cross species transmission of ectoparasites.

Assessment of Heavy Metal Residues in Excreta of Rock Pigeon (Columba Livia) and Domestic Pigeon (Columba livia Domestica) in Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan

Pollution is the main cause that effects the environment in a degradable condition. For the presence of heavy metals in the atmosphere birds are considered as tremendous bio indicator. Blue pigeon and domestic pigeon (Coloumba livia) of Faisalabad are selected to examine the level of heavy metals including Manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), Cobalt (Co), lead (Pb) cadmium (Cd) and Copper (Cu) in several tissues such as (heart, lungs, bones, muscles and feathers. Six adult birds were collected rural, urban and residential and traffic areas of Faisalabad. After collection of sample fresh weight will be measured of each sample, then digestion of sample was done by conventional acid digestion method and digested samples were analyzed in the lab by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer for the determination of heavy metals. It was concluded that accumulation of heavy metals in the birds depends upon the environmental conditions. Our result showed that concentration of heavy metals more in rock pigeon as compared to domestic pigeon which may be due to more exposure of industrial waste to rock pigeon. It has inferred from our study that high concentration of heavy metals in the excreta of rock pigeon was due to its high trophic level in food chain.

Spatial Variation of Trace Metals between Industrial and Rural Dwelling Birds of India

A large quantity of trace metals has been continuously polluting the environment as a result of increasing urbanization and industrial processes. In 2016-2017, the metal (Cd, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb, and Zn) levels were determined in fecal pellets of Blue Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) at Bais Godam (industrial location) in Jaipur and Chittora (rural location) in Rajasthan, India. Fecal pellets in industrial regions which are under higher anthropogenic influence exhibited higher metal concentrations when compared with the fecal pellets of the same species in rural area which have minimal anthropogenic input, with statistically significant industrial-rural differences in the metal concentrations except for Ni. Results obtained in this study, as well as the comparison with literature data, indicated that concentrations of Cr and Cu were high in fecal pellets of Blue Rock Pigeon in the industrial region of the present study. Furthermore, many significant correlations were also observed between metal levels in the industrial region which could be attributed to a similar source. Moreover, contamination levels of pigeon excrement serve as one of the most compelling indicators in terrestrial systems for the monitoring of metal pollution levels.

Whole genome resequencing data for rock pigeon (Columba livia)

Objective Navigation is the most important feature of homing pigeons, however no integrated response to genetic mechanism of navigation has been reported. The generated data herein represent whole-genome resequencing data for homing pigeon and three other breeds of rock pigeons. Selective sweep analysis between homing pigeon and other breeds of rock pigeon can provide new insight about identification of candidate genes and biological pathways for homing pigeon ability. Data description Whole-genomes sequence data related to 95 birds from four breeds of rock pigeons including, 29 feral pigeons, 24 Shiraz tumblers, 24 Persian high flyers and 18 homing pigeons were provided. More than 6.94 billion short reads with coverage (average ≈7.50 x) and 407.1 Gb data were produced. Whole genome sequencing was carried out on the Illumina Hiseq 2000 platform using a 350 bp library size and 150 bp paired-end read lengths. The whole genome sequencing data have been submitted at the NCBI SRA Database (PRJNA532675). The presented data set can provide useful genomic information to explain the genetic mechanism of navigation ability of homing pigeons and also testing other genetic hypothesis by genomic analysis.

Columba livia time budget in the conditions of Kazan in spring

The daily time budgets of the rock pigeon (Columba livia) in the spring were studied basing on the example of birds with different foraging strategies. The connection between daylight hours and the birds’ night sleep was revealed. The relation between the daily routine and various forms of activity in birds with different foraging strategies was revealed.

Feeding ecology of blue rock pigeon (Columba livia) in the three districts of Punjab, Pakistan

Present paper provides information on the feeding regimens of the two genders of the blue-rock pigeon (Columba livia Linn.) in the sampled habitats of the three districts viz. Rawalpindi, Faisalabad and Bahawalpur of the Punjab province, Pakistan. This feral pigeon, considered ubiquitous species, inhabits both the grasslands and clumped environments to establish their roosts and nests. The study explored about comparable feeding proportions from three major habitats of the pigeons which were captured with medium sized mist-nets. For Rawalpindi in the winter season, the Zea mays was one of the predominant food item (30.6%) for males, and other ranked major food contents were (26.7%, 22.4% and 20.2%), and fairly similar feeding proportions were also recorded for the females (50.4%, 33.3%, 36.4% and 23.9%) for Carthamus oxyacantha, Hordeum vulgare, Triticum aestivum and Zea mays respectively. Evidently, no significant deviations in the existing food crops for the three sites for the feral pigeon were detected, which strongly suggested that the, modes of feeding habits among the sustainable roosts and nests which were closely located to food crops, exerted negligible impacts during intermittent pigeon foraging movements in the diurnal conditions.

Large winter falcons and their Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) prey at an urban grain terminal in Edmonton, Alberta: an update

In winter, Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) and Prairie Falcon (Falco mexicanus) frequent a 96-year-old grain terminal, in Edmonton, Alberta, hunting Rock Pigeon (Columba livia). This phenomenon was reviewed shortly after it was first noticed by others in 1998 and, since then, we have observed hunting success and methods of Gyrfalcons and Prairie Falcons that were similar but not identical to earlier observations, with success rates of 21.0% and 10.6%, respectively, compared with 10.6% and 26.0% earlier. The most frequently observed hunting strategy for both species was a repeated upward attack on swirling Rock Pigeon flocks, resulting in success rates of 10.7% and 11.4%, respectively. Notably, 50% of downward dive hunts made by Gyrfalcon were successful, although only eight hunts using this method were recorded. The falcons were mildly selective with respect to pigeon colour morphs, with an apparent preference for pied colouration. Contrary to previous interpretations, Rock Pigeon do not appear to eat spilled grain on the building to any great extent; instead, the terminal may simply provide abundant roosting sites, which attain surface temperatures roughly 10°C warmer than ambient on sunny days and at temperatures below −20°C when the building is warmed internally.