Sorry I forgot one summary sentence: Columbarium (ashes wall), pigeon hole (to categorise) and dovecote (place for breeding domestic pigeons) are three connected
terms, although modern use now has them as very different.
Philip
From: Philip Veerman [
Sent: Tuesday, 14 August, 2018 11:25 AM
To:
Subject: [canberrabirds] Avian drama in backyard
Wow we are really going overboard. I am currently reading a book: “This is not a weasel” (2004, Philip B Mortenson). This exists to delve into all these kind
of terminology questions for plants and animals (and others not included in either kingdom). It includes the pigeon/dove issue and as we mostly know, there is no consistent difference between these words, in terms of the birds. Israel has species that are
called both pigeon and dove.
However one interesting thing that I have known for years relates to a columbarium wall in which people inter cremated ashes. I suspect few people realise but
I have just now confirmed on- line is this:
A columbarium (pl. columbaria) is a place for the respectful and usually public storage of cinerary urns (i.e.,
urns holding a deceased's cremated remains).
The term comes from the Latin "columba"
(dove) and originally referred to compartmentalized housing for doves and pigeons called a dovecote.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbarium
Philip
