Ecology of feral pigeon (Columba livia) in urban areas of Rawalpindi/Islamabad,Pakistan

This study was designed to study the ecology of feral pigeon (columba livia) in the urban areas of rawalpindi/islamabad,pakistan. seasonal changes in population density,sex ratio,age group,roosting sites,nesting sites,food and water points of pigeons were recorded in rawalpindi/islamabad. higher population density of the pigeon in islamabad was recorded in winter season followed by autumn,spring and summer season (0.13,0.13,0.10 and 0.09 individuals/ha respectively) whereas the higher population density of the pigeon in rawalpindi was found in summer season followed by winter,spring and autumn (0.13,0.11,0.11 and 0.10 individuals/ha,respectively). the male and female sex ratio of the pigeon population confirms 1:1 sex ratio,both in rawalpindi/islamabad in different seasons. however,adult and juvenile numbers in the pigeon population did not follow 1:1 ratio; adults were more than juveniles in rawalpindi/islamabad in all seasons. the roosting sites,nesting sites,food and water points did differ in different seasons in islamabad. highest population of the pigeon was recorded in old buildings (0.30 individual/ha) and lowest in parklands (0.008 individual/ha). it is concluded that population density of the pigeon mainly concentrated in old buildings; roosting sites,nesting sites,food and water points used by pigeons changed with respect to different seasons. copyright 2013 zoological society of pakistan.