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Dryad

Use of anthropogenic landscapes in a wild Columba livia (Rock Dove) population

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Oct 06, 2024 version files 652.09 KB

Abstract

Despite the role of many domestic animals as model organisms, our understanding of their undomesticated conspecifics is comparatively poor. This limits our ability to infer the eco-evolutionary context of phenomena studied in the laboratory, and to explore domestication. The domestic pigeon’s (Columba livia) wild form is the Rock Dove. By studying five GPS-tagged Rock Doves in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides, we present the first individual-level assessment of undomesticated Rock Dove movements, revealing extensive use of anthropogenic habitats in both a roosting and foraging context. This association with humans provides tantalising opportunities for research into the predomestication human-pigeon relationship. More generally, this work highlights the value of researching laboratory model species in nature.