<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>The purpose of this study was to determine the distribution and plumage phenotypes of the feral pigeon, <italic>Columba livia</italic> forma <italic>urbana</italic> (Gmelin, 1789), in Slovakia. Censuses carried out in the built-up areas of 16 towns and cities from November to February (2012–2018) counted and evaluated 3,123 individual birds. The most frequent were melanic colored birds (checker, T-pattern and spread phenotypes), which predominated in the population (51.6%, n = 1,613), followed by paler ones (42.1%, n = 1,316) and other types (6.2%, n = 194). A statistically significant difference was confirmed among the melanic and paler plumage phenotypes (χ<sup>2</sup> = 81.49, df = 15, p &lt; 0.0001). Correlation confirmed the different importance of city area and human density on the maintenance of dark and/or pale pigeons living in cities.</p></abstract>

The purpose of this study was to determine the distribution and plumage phenotypes of the feral pigeon, Columba livia forma urbana (Gmelin, 1789), in Slovakia. Censuses carried out in the built-up areas of 16 towns and cities from November to February (2012–2018) counted and evaluated 3,123 individual birds. The most frequent were melanic colored birds (checker, T-pattern and spread phenotypes), which predominated in the population (51.6%, n = 1,613), followed by paler ones (42.1%, n = 1,316) and other types (6.2%, n = 194). A statistically significant difference was confirmed among the melanic and paler plumage phenotypes (χ2 = 81.49, df = 15, p < 0.0001). Correlation confirmed the different importance of city area and human density on the maintenance of dark and/or pale pigeons living in cities.

Being Dark is Better: A Feral Pigeon Plumage Polymorphism as a Response to Urban Environments in Slovakia

Faculty of Humanities and Natural Sciences, Department of Biology

Ekológia (Bratislava)

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The purpose of this study was to determine the distribution and plumage phenotypes of the feral pigeon, Columba livia forma urbana (Gmelin, 1789), in Slovakia....

Being Dark is Better: A Feral Pigeon Plumage Polymorphism as a Response to Urban Environments in Slovakia

Published Online: Apr 18, 2021

Page range: 54 - 61

Received: Jul 26, 2020

Accepted: Sep 03, 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/eko-2021-0007

Keywords
color, feather variability, urbanization process

© 2021 Alexander Csanády et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Being Dark is Better: A Feral Pigeon Plumage Polymorphism as a Response to Urban Environments in Slovakia

Published Online: Apr 18, 2021

Page range: 54 - 61

Received: Jul 26, 2020

Accepted: Sep 03, 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/eko-2021-0007

Keywordscolor, feather variability, urbanization process

© 2021 Alexander Csanády et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
color, feather variability, urbanization process