Rock Dove

Columba livia

Order: Columbiformes
Family: Columbidae
Presence in the Strait: Resident
Abundance: rare
In Spanish: Paloma bravía

Photograph: Birds of Gilgit-Baltistan, CC BY-SA, vía iNaturalist

Length: 31–34 cm
Wingspan: 63–70 cm
Weight: 300 g

Presence in the Strait

Rare resident located in rocky coastal areas around Ceuta and Tajo de Barbate as well as rocky outcrops at Vejer de la Frontera (<40 birds). Ancestor of all domestic doves with which it currently cross breeds to the detriment of pure-blood populations.

Identification

Grey with visible black wing bands. Short tail with blackish terminal band, pure white rump and white underwing.

Bioestrecho editorial text. Last revised: 8 September 2026.

Photographs from iNaturalist observations with the licence checked file by file. Those marked “Strait” were taken within the area; place and date are those of each observation.

Calendar in the Strait

16 %

Peak in September. Observations under CC0 or CC BY licences. The distribution also reflects observation effort.

Where it is seen

Open records from the atlas database, in cells of about 3.6 km. Opacity follows the square root of the count, and also reflects where people observe most.

See on the map

First open record: 25 February 1966
Latest record: 22 August 2026

The oldest and the most recent open observation in the extended area. A recent first observation does not mean the species is new: it means nobody had published it openly before.

Conservation

The catalogues, Andalusian and Spanish, are what binds; the Red Book assesses the Spanish population with IUCN criteria, and the global Red List is the context.

LCNTVUENCR

Andalusian Catalogue: Not included
Spanish Catalogue: Not included
Red Book of the Birds of Spain 2021: LC · Least concern · breeding
Global Red List (IUCN): Not assessed

Andalusian Catalogue: Junta de Andalucía, list of 24 April 2025. Spanish Catalogue: MITECO, table of 30 June 2025. Red Book: SEO/BirdLife, 2021 (Annex I). IUCN: via GBIF, 6 September 2026. Red Book and IUCN categories are assessments; catalogue categories are legal obligations.

Phenology compared

Monthly distribution in proportion, by decade. It shows whether the passage is getting earlier or later.

1990–1999

2000–2009

2010–2026

Proportions, not totals: observation effort grew faster than any population.

Same genus in the Strait

Stock Dove32–34 cm · Seasonal · overlapping size
Common Wood Pigeon40–42 cm · Resident

Species of the same genus that also occur here, ordered by how close they are in size. Being relatives does not mean they are confused in the field, but that is where the doubts start: compare size and season.

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Columbiformes
Family: Columbidae
GBIF taxon key: 9310871

Sources

Distribution and calendar: Bioestrecho's own database, ingested from GBIF and OBIS
Photograph: Birds of Gilgit-Baltistan, CC BY-SA, vía iNaturalist
Taxonomy: GBIF backbone, pending WoRMS for marine taxa
Editorial text: written by Bioestrecho
Last revised: 8 September 2026

Rock Dove

Presence in the Strait

Identification

Gallery