Whilst in Sydney over the New Year period I noticed that just about all
the Rock Doves, particularly those in Hyde Park, were much darker in
colour than those I am used to seeing around Newcastle. Rock Doves tend
to be fairly variable in plumage colour, but these were pretty much all
the same and almost black in colour. Is this a general trend? Could we
one day end up with a new species, the Sydney Rock Dove? What colour are
they in other cities? If dark plumage has a survival advantage in
Sydney, why not elsewhere. Presumably, they have been present in
European cities for centuries, and would have had more time to evolve
dark plumage there than in Sydney. Apart from climate, Sydney is pretty
much the same as any other city in the world (from the point of view of
a pigeon), any reason why Sydney's pigeons should be dark?
Paul Osborn
Paul Osborn
Research Scientist
BHP Research - Newcastle Labs
PO Box 188 Wallsend, NSW, 2287
Ph: (02) 49792705
VPN: 8843 2705
Fax: (02) 49792022
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