Pigeons on the empire state building...

Yeah I don't know about the roosting at night, I didn't see any nests
up there. Pigeons are all over NYC, and hawks too from what I
understand, Pale Male being the most famous. It would be interesting
to see how hawk territories work with all those buildings, I wonder if
they are smaller or larger, since they don't have line of sight around
many of the buildings. The trip I wouldn't imagine would be too much
for the pigeons, but it is still extraneous, since it is so much higher
than everything else. The other curious thing was that they were all a
very dark color, we did not see any other color patterns up there but
the one, I've never seen pigeons flock by color before, but I'm also
quite new into the hobby, so what do I know :-) Anyhow just thought it
was strange.

~Mickey
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Mickey wrote:
> than everything else. The other curious thing was that they were all a
> very dark color, we did not see any other color patterns up there but
> the one, I've never seen pigeons flock by color before, but I'm also
> quite new into the hobby, so what do I know :-) Anyhow just thought it
> was strange.

The darker colour you mention is a genetically dominant colour and
pattern. Given enough generations most flocks will degenerate to that
colour and pattern.

There is also a bit of natural selection happening. White or light
coloured birds stand out against grey buildings and do not blend too
well with shadows. They make easy targets for predators.

David
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David Mutimer wrote:
> Mickey wrote:
> > than everything else. The other curious thing was that they were
all a
> > very dark color, we did not see any other color patterns up there
but
> > the one, I've never seen pigeons flock by color before, but I'm
also
> > quite new into the hobby, so what do I know :-) Anyhow just
thought it
> > was strange.
>
> The darker colour you mention is a genetically dominant colour and
> pattern. Given enough generations most flocks will degenerate to that

> colour and pattern.
>
> There is also a bit of natural selection happening. White or light
> coloured birds stand out against grey buildings and do not blend too
> well with shadows. They make easy targets for predators.
>
> David

This is mostly true, but I wouldn't look at it as a degeneration, as
much as
just related, or 'family' birds hangin out together. The group you have
been
seeing are probably just closely related. Parents and offspring.
Usually,
small groups of pigeons hanging together are related. Flocks are a
hodge podge
of birds whose main commonality is a source of food, and yes, the
'flock'
average color will become the dominant genetic color.
I also have always agreed that the lighter colors stand out and would
make them
an easier target for skysharks, however, in flying my rollers, the
cooper,
sharpie, and gos hawk prefer my dark check and black birds. Go
figure.....
The only thing I can assume from this is that that is the standard
color
of the average pigeon they hunt. Strange thou, I have a few red-tails
that
pass thru and get a few of my birds, all light colored or
white-flighted birds.
E-Man
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ef29 RemoveThis @drexel.edu wrote:
> David Mutimer wrote:
>
>>The darker colour you mention is a genetically dominant colour and
>>pattern. Given enough generations most flocks will degenerate to that
>>colour and pattern.
>>
>>There is also a bit of natural selection happening. White or light
>>coloured birds stand out against grey buildings and do not blend too
>>well with shadows. They make easy targets for predators.
>>
>>David
>
>
> This is mostly true, but I wouldn't look at it as a degeneration, as
> much as
> just related, or 'family' birds hangin out together. The group you have
> been
> seeing are probably just closely related. Parents and offspring.
> Usually,

If you take a look at what makes up a dark checker genetically, its
pattern is Spread T, which is genetically dominant over checker, barred
or barless. A pairing of a dark checker and a blue bar will produce 75%
of the offspring dark checker and only 25% of them barred.

With those genetic odds, it does not take long for all birds in a flock
to become dark checkers,
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