Dove vs. pigeon: what the difference really is in Puerto Rico

Why there is no scientific difference

The UK's Royal Society for the Protection of Birds puts it plainly: pigeons and doves belong to the same family, Columbidae, and there is no scientific distinction between the two. People tend to call smaller, more delicate birds doves and stouter, more urban ones pigeons. Spanish does the same with tórtola and paloma, and English uses both words for one species: Rock Pigeon and Rock Dove are the same bird.

Genera do group related species, and in Puerto Rico they help more than the common word. Patagioenas holds the three large native pigeons; Columba, the feral Rock Pigeon; Zenaida, three native doves; Streptopelia, the two introduced collared-doves; Columbina, the Common Ground Dove; and Geotrygon, the quail-doves. When in doubt, think about genus and lifestyle, not just the name.

How Puerto Rico uses paloma and tórtola

SOPI's Catalog of the Birds of Puerto Rico (completed in 2007) lists 13 species in the family. Seven carry the name paloma: the feral domestic pigeon, Scaly-naped, White-crowned, Plain, and three quail-doves. Five are tórtolas: the turca (Eurasian Collared-Dove), the collarina (African Collared-Dove), White-winged, Zenaida, and the rabilarga or rabiche (Mourning Dove). The thirteenth is the rolita, Common Ground Dove.

The size rule works fairly well. In our catalog profiles, the large palomas average roughly 240 to 350 grams; the tórtolas, roughly 125 to 180; and the rolita, about 33. The big exception is the quail-doves: they are called palomas but weigh about what a dove does (roughly 125 to 200 grams) and behave like small forest fowl, walking under cover.

Names also shift with time and source. Wetmore recorded in 1916 that the Zenaida Dove was called tórtola or sanjuanera. The breeding bird atlas calls the Eurasian species Tórtola Collarina and the African one Paloma Collarina Africana, while SOPI's catalog calls the first Tórtola Turca and the second Tórtola Collarina. That is why it pays to note the scientific name.

Puerto Rico's doves and how to separate them

Zenaida Dove (tórtola cardosantera, 23–28 cm) is the typical native dove of yards, coasts, and farms; it appeared in 85 % of atlas hexagons. It has a relatively short, squared tail and a white trailing edge on the inner wing that shows as a white spot on a perched bird. White-winged Dove (tórtola aliblanca, 28–32 cm) is a bit larger and shows a broad white wing stripe; its song is rendered who-cooks-for-you. It was first recorded in Puerto Rico in 1943 and is now the most widespread member of the family (86 % of hexagons).

Mourning Dove (tórtola rabiche or rabilarga) is known by its long, pointed, white-edged tail and black spots on the wing. It was first reported on the island in 1935 and is far more local: the atlas found it in 16 % of hexagons, mostly on the south and southwest coast, in dry open country.

Both collared-doves are introduced and wear a black half-collar on the nape. The Eurasian is larger and darker; the African, smaller and paler, has been confirmed mainly along the south and southwest coast, with records from Cabo Rojo. Separating them requires good light, side-by-side size, and ideally voice. No native Puerto Rican dove has a black collar.

The large pigeons: forest, coast, and plaza

The three native Patagioenas pigeons eat mostly fruit and spend much of their time in trees. Scaly-naped Pigeon is slate gray with a wine-red neck and lives in humid forest; White-crowned Pigeon, dark with a white crown as an adult, is tied to mangroves and coastal forest and is rated Near Threatened by the IUCN; Plain Pigeon is endangered under DRNA rules and the federal Endangered Species Act, and the atlas found it in only 19 hexagons in east-central Puerto Rico.

The Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) is the pigeon of plazas and buildings. It is introduced, eats seeds and food scraps on the ground, and in its wild-type plumage shows a white rump and two black wing bars, something no native pigeon has.

The diet split runs deep in the local literature. Wetmore found only fruit in the stomachs of Scaly-naped and White-crowned Pigeons, while Zenaida Doves and ground doves ate almost nothing but seeds. Fruit in trees or seeds on the ground: that clue often separates a pigeon from a dove before you see a single field mark.

What they all share

Pigeons and doves feed their young crop milk, a secretion from the crop produced by both parents; Audubon describes it for Rock Pigeon, and Wetmore observed it in Puerto Rico's ground doves, where the milk formed as a thick curd about half an hour after the birds drank. Most lay one or two eggs per clutch, usually in simple, flimsy stick nests.

They also share a body plan: small head, short slender bill, compact body, and short legs. That makes the family easy to recognize, and real identification starts afterward, with size, tail, wing marks, and habitat.

Why the difference matters under hunting rules

DRNA's season is literally called the pigeon and dove season, and species are not treated alike. In the 2022 notice the only native game species were Scaly-naped Pigeon (up to 5 a day) and three Zenaida doves (up to 30 combined, with no more than 10 Zenaida Doves and 3 Mourning Doves). Rock Pigeon and the introduced collared-doves could be taken without a bag limit during the season, as a control measure for exotic species.

White-crowned Pigeon, Plain Pigeon, the quail-doves, and Common Ground Dove are not among the permitted species in that notice, and pigeon and dove hunting was banned in a zone of Cidra, Caguas, Aguas Buenas, and Cayey to protect Plain Pigeon. Mixing up a pigeon and a dove, or a Plain and a Scaly-naped Pigeon, can be a violation: identify before shooting and confirm each year's current notice.

What is the difference between a dove and a pigeon?

There is no scientific difference: both are birds of the family Columbidae. By custom, smaller, more delicate species are called doves and larger, stouter ones pigeons. In Puerto Rico the doves mostly eat seeds on open ground, while the large pigeons eat fruit in trees.

Is a dove the same as a pigeon?

They belong to the same family, but each name refers to different species. A Zenaida Dove and a Scaly-naped Pigeon are separate species with different size, diet, and habitat, even though they are relatives.

What doves live in Puerto Rico?

Three native doves—Zenaida, White-winged, and Mourning—and two introduced collared-doves, the Eurasian and the African. There are also the Common Ground Dove, the smallest, and the quail-doves of the forest floor.

How many kinds of pigeons and doves are in Puerto Rico?

SOPI's 2007 catalog lists 13 species in the family. This site's catalog has 16 profiles because it adds uncommon introduced species such as Diamond Dove, accidental records, and the extinct quail-dove known only from bones.

How do I tell a Zenaida Dove from a White-winged Dove?

Look at the wing. White-winged Dove has a broad white stripe along the wing, visible perched and in flight. Zenaida Dove shows only a white trailing edge on the inner wing, which looks like a small white spot on a perched bird.

Is the tórtola turca the same as the paloma turca?

No. In SOPI's catalog, Tórtola Turca is the introduced Eurasian Collared-Dove, pale with a black collar. Paloma Turca is Scaly-naped Pigeon, the large gray native forest pigeon with a scaly nape.