isn't a dove just a white/albino pigeon?

Answer 1

No. A lot of times the white "doves" you see are actually white pigeons. White is nothing but a color. Like white cats. Just because a cat is white, doesn't mean it is albino. If it was an albino dove or pigeon, it would be solid white with pink skin and eyes. They are much weaker and albino doves and pigeons are sometimes blinded (literally) from bright lights.
There are white doves, and they ARE doves, not pigeons (even though there really isn't any difference between them...I'm just going by what we call them, okay?). These white doves are white Ringneck Doves. And don't think that all doves are white either! It's just one of the few colors they can be! There are over 250 different breeds of domestic pigeons, and any of these could be white as well as the feral ones in the cities (resulted from domestics getting lost and breeding white into the feral flock).

The "doves" that are released at weddings and things like that are actually white homing pigeons. Keep in mind all white DOVES are domestic and would not survive in the wild. There are some white feral pigeons but the majority are domestic as well.

Pigeons are generally bigger in size compared to the doves and aren't as weak looking. Pigeons are stockier and have different calls and coos from the doves. Doves have longer pointy tails while pigeons have shorter, more rounded tails. Pigeons also have iridescent feathers on the neck (white pigeons normally do not show it, but most pigeons do), while doves generally do not. Another difference I have noticed is that the cure (flesh part on top of the beak near the nostrils) is a whole lot more noticeable in pigeons than doves. Doves seem to just have little slits for nostrils and hardly a raised cere at all. Pigeons on the other hand, usually have chalky white Ceres that stand out more. Pigeons (MOST of them anyways. different breeds have different shapes) also tend to have shorter beaks instead of the long slender ones of the dove. Another big difference is that pigeons are far more intelligent. Pigeons, especially homing pigeons, can come home from many, many miles. The fancier the breed of domestic pigeon, the less homing ability they have. However, English Carriers, Homers, and Rock Doves (city pigeons) have great homing ability. Even though fancy pigeons can't come back from far distances, it is smart enough to come back into the loft at the end of the day. Doves however, will become lost if you let them out and will not come back into the loft. The pigeons you see in the city are scientifically Rock Doves. Pigeon is just another name for them. I still like to argue that Rock Doves and all their descendants are the real pigeons and somewhat different than the other pigeons like Wood Pigeons, Band-tailed pigeons, and Imperial Pigeons. I consider the others more dove-like since they didn't come from the Rock Dove and lack the strong homing ability. That's just my opinion though. It is true that they are virtually the same thing, and that a dove is not just a white or albino pigeon. Although in the same family, doves are different species and should not be confused with the pigeon and it's domestic descendants.
That was probably confusing, but if you think about it... I think you can figure out my point.

In other words, in case you just got lost, the answer to your question is no. I think that's about all that matters here.
- Becky

Answer 2

Dove Vs Pigeon

Answer 3

Albino Pigeon

Answer 4

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RE:
isn't a dove just a white/albino pigeon?

Answer 5

In a broad sense, pigeons *of any color* could technically be called doves, since doves and pigeons belong to the same family. However there are many species of both and, generally speaking, the species called doves have longer tails than those referred to as pigeons.

The white doves commonly used in magic acts and kept as pets are a white mutation of the domesticated Ringneck Dove, a slim bird with a long tail.

Pigeons AND doves both come in a wide variety of colors and types.

Answer 6

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A pigeon is just a common/lay person's name for a type of dove called a Rock Dove. They belong to the same family as doves such as Turtle, Ringneck, Mourning, etc. - people just call them "Pigeons" familiarly as sort of an endearing pest nomenclature - but they are, in fact, Doves.

Answer 7

No.

"Over 300 species of the family Columbidae, the classification name for doves and pigeons, exist in the world. The United States has nine native and four introduced species of doves or pigeons.

The difference between doves and pigeons is mostly size. Doves are generally sleeker and smaller with pointed tails, while pigeons are larger and stockier with rounded tails. The common urban pigeon is also known as a "Rock Dove." The popular white dove releases at various celebrations are billed as "dove" releases, but ethical companies always use white homing pigeons, as they return home."
http://www.birdhobbyist.com/articles/BirdHobbyist/Species/DovesPigeons.html

Most doves that are native to North America are not white. You can see here the 4 species of pigeon and the 8 species of dove native to North America: http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/view_default.asp?curGroupID=1&shapeID=968

Answer 8

Doves are not white! It is RACISM!!! There is no SINGLE species of dove or pigeon that could be classified white! Ringneck Doves are NOT white! Read this Wiki article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbidae

Answer 9

A Dove and a pigeon are the same thing.....some refer to the smaller white birds as Doves and the larger as Pigeons...any distinction is unreliable. Some say Doves are ground dwellers and Pigeons are tree dwellers, but that rule is often broken as well. They both come from the same family (Columbidae). Also, people think of Pigeons as ugly birds with dirty habits but think of Doves as beautiful and romanitc...despite what some may say...they are the same thing.

Answer 10

You can say it but white albino pigeon is a slightly bigger than a dove.