鴿形目 Columbiformes

鴿形目 Columbiformes，來自拉丁文的 columba (鴿子) 和拉丁文的 -fōrmis (形狀)，意思是「鴿子形狀」，說明這些動物是有鴿子形狀的及跟鴿子有關係。

Columbiformes, Latin columba (“dove, pigeon”) and Latin -fōrmis (“-shaped”), means “dove-shaped”, in reference to the fact that these animals are all dove-shaped and dove-related.

種的俗名 Common names of members

白鴿、原鴿。

Pigeons and doves.

分佈 Distribution

世界各地任何地方，除了撒哈拉沙漠最乾燥的地區、南極洲及其周邊島嶼，和北極高地。They are distributed everywhere on Earth, except for the driest areas of the Sahara Desert, Antarctica and its surrounding islands, and the high Arctic.

體型 Size

牠們體型差異很大，長度在15厘米到75厘米之間不等，體重在30克到大約2公斤之間不等。

They vary greatly in size, with lengths between 15 and 75 centimeters and weights between 30 and more than 2,000 g.

形態 Morphology

牠們的特徵是頭小、巨大而小巧的身體、短腿，和帶有肉質蠟膜的短喙。牠們獨特的身體羽毛有一個寬闊、堅固和扁平的羽軸，很快會逐漸變尖。

Their small heads on huge, compact bodies, short legs, and short bills with fleshy ceres are their distinguishing features. Their distinctive body feathers have a broad, strong, flattened shaft that quickly taper to a sharp point.

Ecology & Habitat 生態及棲息地

可以是陸生、半陸生或樹棲物種。可以住在稀樹草原、草原、沙漠、溫帶林地和森林、紅樹林，甚至在具有荒涼沙子和礫石的環礁。

These species might be terrestrial, semi-terrestrial, or arboreal. Savanna, grassland, desert, temperate woodland and forest, mangrove forest, and even the desolate sands and gravels of atolls are home to a variety of species.

Diet 食性

牠們主要食物來源是水果和種子，而分為兩類：果食性類物種和食穀性物種。前者通常以樹為食而後者是以掉落在地上的種子為食。有些物種，特別是地面上的，以大量昆蟲和蠕蟲為食。

Their main food sources are fruits and seeds, which are separated into two groups: frugivorous (fruit-and-mast-eating) species and granivorous (seed-eating) species. While frugivorous species usually feed in trees, granivorous species usually graze on seed that falls to the ground. Some species, especially those found on the ground, consume a lot of insects and worms as food.

繁殖 Reproduction

牠們會互相啄食以表示交配，之後結成了情侶。雄性在婚禮遊行中跳舞，試圖贏得雌性的青睞。一或兩個卵會由雌性產下，並由牠們孵化已產生新的後代。剛孵化的時候，牠們完全失明但生長迅速。並且與大多數其他鳥類不同，父母可以分泌鴿乳來哺育雛鳥，透過從嗉囊內壁脫落充滿液體的細胞。雛鳥會和父母住在一起，知道大約32天後，牠們開始飛翔並離開巢穴。為了產下一窩，這對夫妻隨後孵化新卵。

They give each other pecks to indicate mating. After that, they form a couple. The male dances in the nuptial procession in an attempt to win the female over. The eggs (one or two) are laid by the female and hatched by both of them to produce new progeny. These are totally blind at birth, but they grow rapidly. Unlike most other birds, they exude “crop milk” to nourish their young. This is achieved by sloughing off fluid-filled cells from the crop lining. Up until roughly 32 days, when chicks start to fly and leave the nest, they remain with their parents. In order to produce a new clutch, the couple then hatches new eggs.