Fun Speckled Pigeon Facts For Kids

The speckled pigeon (Columba guinea) is a type of rock pigeon found in South Africa. They are found across a wide range of locations from open grasslands to cities. They have been known to nest in high-density city areas as well as in vegetative areas.

Within their habitat range, they are a common species. They move around in flocks.

A single flock may have as many as hundreds of speckled pigeons. Some pigeons are also known to live on offshore islands. From here, they regularly commute to the mainland for foraging.

Speckled pigeons can be identified by a bright red patch around their eye. This patch is in the shape of an almond. Their wings are brown and covered in white dots, tipped by a dark brown-black color.

They mate all year round. This is due to their ability to produce crop milk within their crop for feeding the young. Both parents take care of the young.

If this is of interest, then check out these common grackle facts and Collared Falconet facts for more.

Speckled Pigeon Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a speckled pigeon?

The speckled pigeon (Columba guinea) is a type of rock pigeon which is a bird.

What class of animal does a speckled pigeon belong to?

The Speckled pigeon (Columba guinea) belongs to the class of Aves.

How many speckled pigeons are there in the world?

There is no specific estimate for the number of speckled pigeons in the world but their population is believed to be stable.

Where does a speckled pigeon live?

Speckled pigeons live in the South African continent, to the south of the Sahara Desert. Their range includes countries like Ghana, Botswana, Angola, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, and more.

What is a speckled pigeon's habitat?

Speckled pigeons are a type of rock pigeon species found across vast regions of Africa. The speckled pigeon habitat range from deserts to rocky cliffs, savanna grasslands, natural and artificial forests. They have even adapted to living in urban areas with humans.

Who do speckled pigeons live with?

These species of pigeons are known to live in flocks that comprise almost hundreds of individuals. However, during the breeding season, these birds are known to be found in pairs.

How long does a speckled pigeon live?

The average lifespan of speckled pigeons species is not known, but birds of the Columba genus are known to live for 3-5 years when they are living in the wild, but live longer for about 30 years when living in captivity.

How do they reproduce?

Speckled pigeon species breed all year round. There is a peak in their breeding during the dry season. The male pigeon attempts to attract the female.

They do this by displaying their feathers, bowing, crouching, or flying. The nest of these pigeons is extremely bare, made of a few twigs. Usually, the nest is on a platform.

They are quite attracted to structures in urban areas such as telephone poles or other cubby holes. The pigeons may nest alone or with their flock family.

The female lays two white eggs on average in a single clutch. After a 14-18 days incubation period, the chicks are born. Incubation of the white eggs is jointly shared by both male and female birds.

When young, the chicks have a diet of digested crop milk only. After several days, the chicks switch to a more solid diet, along with the growth of feathers. A young chick may be ready for breeding after around six months of age.

What is their conservation status?

Speckled pigeons of Africa have been assigned a conservation status of Least Concern. These birds have a stable, non-migratory population range.

There are no specific conservation efforts directed towards them, however, they naturally occur within some protected forest ranges within Africa. There are no major threats to their population other than natural predators like possums, owls, and hawks. The bird species is quickly adapting to urban areas, and in some places have also been labeled as a nuisance.

Speckled Pigeon Fun Facts

What do Speckled Pigeons look like?

The speckled pigeons of Africa have a blueish-grey body with their wing feathers chestnut brown, ending in darker, slate-colored tips. The wings are speckled in silvery-white spots. The skin around their neck has a band that is pink, salmon, or reddish in color.

They can be identified by the patch of bare skin around the eye. This bare region around the eye is separated from the rest of the grey feathers by a white streak.

Their bill is black while their feet are orange. Chicks, when born in the nest, have grey wings. Belonging to the Columbidae family, these birds also have a crop in front, which they use to secrete crop milk for their offsprings.

How cute are they?

The South African peckled pigeons, often seen in a large family are extremely cute birds with a short beak and roundish body. They bob their head as they walk and are quite colorful with their brown wings and white spots.

How do they communicate?

Speckled pigeons communicate vocally. They produce a series of cooing sounds. The pace of these sounds varies in order to send different information within the flock.

How big is a Speckled Pigeon?

South African speckled pigeons are 12.6-13.8 in (32-35 cm) in length. They are slightly smaller than Black sparrowhawk, which is about 15.7-21.2 in (40-54 cm) in length. In comparison, the Nicobar pigeon is quite large at 21-23 in (53-58 cm) long.

How fast can a speckled pigeon fly?

Pigeons belonging to the Columbidae family can fly at a maximum speed of 93 mph (150 kph).

How much does a speckled pigeon weigh?

The Columbidae speckled pigeon weighs an average of 7.7-13.7 oz (219–390 g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

A male pigeon is known as a cock. Female pigeons are known as hens.

What would you call a baby speckled pigeon?

Baby pigeons are known as squab.

What do they eat?

The speckled pigeon consumes a diet made up of various seeds like maize, wheat, grains, and groundnuts. They also eat mollusks.

Are they dangerous?

A pigeon is not a dangerous bird and is not known to harm humans.

Would they make a good pet?

Speckled pigeons can make for great pets. Pigeons are generally smart birds, that can be trained, like being petted, and can live with other animals.

They are an extremely safe pet to have, though one must be careful to clean their droppings regularly. Pigeon droppings should never be touched with bare hands. If one is bringing a feral pigeon home, make sure to check it for fleas and mites.

Did you know...

The coloring of speckled pigeons is reminiscent of some type of Guineafowl, because of which they are also called Guinea pigeons. The Brown Cuckoo-Dove is also often mistaken for a brown pigeon, but the former has red feet.

Pigeons, doves, and flamingos are the only birds seen to produce exclusive crop milk for young ones, while almost all birds feed their young ones regurgitated food.

Female vs. male speckled pigeons

Male and female speckled pigeons look alike and cannot be distinguished by visual cues alone. Generally, males are slightly larger than females, but again this will not be observable to the untrained eye. Younger pigeons can be identified as they are browner in color and do not have bare red skin around their eye.

History of the speckled pigeon

The speckled pigeon is found exclusively on the African continent and has adapted to living around human habitation. There are two sub-species found in different regions. The speckled pigeon uses rocky outcrops or even manmade boxes and pergolas as nesting spots.

For more relatable content, check out these forest Owlet and Large Ground Finch pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable speckled pigeon coloring pages.