PIGEONS AND TURTLE DOVES LINE

Species from the Columbidae family are characterized by a stout body and small head with a short, puffy beak and short legs with four toes. Their large, strong wings make them especially suited to flying. The different species vary considerably in size ranging from the New Guinea crowned pigeon, which can reach the size of a turkey, to common ground doves, which are just a little larger than a songbird. The record for the smallest goes to the dwarf fruit dove (Ptilinopus nainus), measuring just 13 cm. Their dense, fluffy plumage is also highly variable: some species are an inconspicuous single color while others, particularly fruit doves from the Ptilinopus genus and pigeons from the Treron and Alectroenas genera, boast very flashy feathers.