Congregation Among Columba livia A Study of Microhabitat
Congregation Among Columba livia A Study of Microhabitat Usage and Morning Group Assembly in a Population of Columba livia
Columba livia • C. livia is more commonly known as the Rock Dove or Feral Pidgeon. • It is a large very successfully urbanized species of the order Columbiformes. • It is known to form colonies and forage in large groups.
Study Objectives • The purpose of this study was to examine how concentration of individuals at 3 rd St and Campbell Ave changes over the course of the day. • My study was therefore designed to attempt to detect a preference for this location dependant upon the time of day.
Methods • The number of Rock Doves on the stretch of electrical wires was recorded once every ten minutes from 6: 00 -8: 00 AM and again from 11: 00 AM – 12: 00 PM. • Once all the data was collected the Mean and Median numbers of Rock Doves at each time interval was determined along with Standard Deviation.
Results
Conclusions • Rock Doves favor the research site more between 6: 10 -7: 20 AM, relative to the other times studied. • Variation was extremely high from sampling to sampling. • Early congregation appears to be supported although only marginally.
Discussion • Why do Rock Doves congregate? – Predation – Mate Access – Warming – Vestigial Trait
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Questions?
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