Some
Interesting Facts
Feral
Pigeon Columbia livia (domest.)
Pigeons are rock doves that were domesticated
but have returned to their original wild state.
The pigeons were domesticated for a number of
reasons, food, homing pigeons for messages and
sport (racing pigeons) or even for their differing
plumage and displayed as fancy pigeons.
A
pigeon's lifespan can vary. In the wild they
can live up to 5 years but some pigeons in captivity
have lived for 30 years. Their 'natural' habitat
is coastal cliffs but their domestication has
brought the pigeons to buildings in our cities
throughout the world where they live happily
feeding on seeds in the fields or bread and
other foodstuffs discarded by people.
Pigeons
are excellent fliers reaching speeds of up to
60mph but are not migratory. The female pigeon
lays two white eggs and the emerging young pigeons
are known as squabs.
Starling
Sturnus vulgaris
The numbers of starlings in the UK
are declining, perhaps due to pesticides reducing
the quantity of their invertebrate prey. Starlings
feed on insects and their larvae, earthworms,
snails, slugs etc. In previous years large colonies
of hundreds of thousands could be seen wheeling
in the evening skies prior to roosting on buildings
and in trees. The starlings may migrate to warmer
climes in the winter but the UK starlings are
sedentary and swelled in numbers by eastern
starlings in the summer months.
The
starlings nest with straw and feathers in wall
voids or roof spaces and normally raise one
brood annually from a clutch of four to seven
eggs.
Herring
Gull Larus argentatus
A large noisy gull that is found in
coastal areas and inland scavenging around rubbish
tips but fish and shellfish comprise a large
part of the Herring Gull's natural diet along
with carrion, grain and birds eggs. These gulls
are widespread inland during winter. It can
be seen around the rest of Europe, Scandinavia
and the Mediterranean.
The
adult Herring Gull is a large bird growing up
to 65cm in length with a wing span of up to
158cm
Herring
Gulls lay a clutch of 2 - 4 eggs which hatch
after about 26 days.
Lesser Black Backed Gull Larus fuscus
Slightly smaller than the Herring Gull
with grey/black upperparts of the wings and
back. They are migratory gulls but increasing
numbers of the gulls are over-wintering in the
UK. Their feeding habits are similar to those
of the Herring Gulll
The
Lesser Black Backed Gull has a wingspan up to
about 148 cm. They lay a clutch of 1 - 3 eggs.
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