Flora and Fauna
Jul 14, 2008 | 12:17 pm
#1
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Flora and Fauna
This thread is dedicated to the general discussion of flora and fauna found by FlyerTalk members during their travels all over the world.
For example, one observation I have noticed is that whether I travel to major cities worldwide, such as Buenos Aires, Tokyo, Paris or New York, the pigeons seem to be exactly the same species. Are they really the same, or are there subtle differences I simply am not noticing? Are there any other species of flora or fauna found throughout the planet that are indeed the same?
For example, one observation I have noticed is that whether I travel to major cities worldwide, such as Buenos Aires, Tokyo, Paris or New York, the pigeons seem to be exactly the same species. Are they really the same, or are there subtle differences I simply am not noticing? Are there any other species of flora or fauna found throughout the planet that are indeed the same?
Jul 14, 2008 | 1:09 pm
#2
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The pigeons are feral descendants of the domesticated Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) and have spread with humanity (as have rats, dogs, cats). The wingflashes seem to be the common pattern that they carry. There might be different races depending on what stock they derived from.
Jul 14, 2008 | 5:22 pm
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From my observation I'd have thought that spotted doves and zebra doves were much more common in SE Asia than the kind of pigeon we see in the west. Both have distinctive appearances, and IMHO are much prettier than the western feral pigeons.
Jul 20, 2008 | 9:31 pm
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What I've noticed about pigeons is that it's not a Good Thing to stand directly under a bunch of them...
Seriously though, in some places there seems to be a greater proportion of dark feathered ones than light feathered ones. For instance in Japan, you hardly get to see any of the latter. There was a TV program once showing that this was an adaptation to crows preying on the lighter ones; the darker feathers probably made the pigeons less likely to stand out.
Seriously though, in some places there seems to be a greater proportion of dark feathered ones than light feathered ones. For instance in Japan, you hardly get to see any of the latter. There was a TV program once showing that this was an adaptation to crows preying on the lighter ones; the darker feathers probably made the pigeons less likely to stand out.
Jul 21, 2008 | 9:04 am
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Speaking of pigeons...
On a cruise I took along the Norwegian Coast in 2004, we had a pigeon that stayed with the ship all the way from Southampton, to the very northern tip of Norway at Honningsvag/Nordkapp. By the time we had reached the high arctic, the pigeon seemed a bit confused, and was surviving on breakfast crumbs left on the rear deck of the ship. AFAIK, that was the only pigeon in Honningsvag that summer, as there definitely weren't any others of his kind around up there.
On a cruise I took along the Norwegian Coast in 2004, we had a pigeon that stayed with the ship all the way from Southampton, to the very northern tip of Norway at Honningsvag/Nordkapp. By the time we had reached the high arctic, the pigeon seemed a bit confused, and was surviving on breakfast crumbs left on the rear deck of the ship. AFAIK, that was the only pigeon in Honningsvag that summer, as there definitely weren't any others of his kind around up there.
Jul 21, 2008 | 9:14 am
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This thread is dedicated to the general discussion of flora and fauna found by FlyerTalk members during their travels all over the world.
For example, one observation I have noticed is that whether I travel to major cities worldwide, such as Buenos Aires, Tokyo, Paris or New York, the pigeons seem to be exactly the same species. Are they really the same, or are there subtle differences I simply am not noticing? Are there any other species of flora or fauna found throughout the planet that are indeed the same?
For example, one observation I have noticed is that whether I travel to major cities worldwide, such as Buenos Aires, Tokyo, Paris or New York, the pigeons seem to be exactly the same species. Are they really the same, or are there subtle differences I simply am not noticing? Are there any other species of flora or fauna found throughout the planet that are indeed the same?
Other species which appear almost everywhere are usually closely associated with man (Chicken, originally from India, Black/Norwegian rats (from boats would be the two I'd pick on). Some species were deliberate introductions (house Sparrows in Europe, introduced into N America, but not found much outside those two continents). And then there are a very few species which are really ubiquitous - Barn Owls for example are (naturally) present on virtually every continent (Antarctica and possibly Australia). Marine tend to be more ubiquitous in some ways, since migration is easier if you can swim.
Jul 21, 2008 | 3:38 pm
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Jul 21, 2008 | 3:46 pm
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Speaking of pigeons...
On a cruise I took along the Norwegian Coast in 2004, we had a pigeon that stayed with the ship all the way from Southampton, to the very northern tip of Norway at Honningsvag/Nordkapp. By the time we had reached the high arctic, the pigeon seemed a bit confused, and was surviving on breakfast crumbs left on the rear deck of the ship. AFAIK, that was the only pigeon in Honningsvag that summer, as there definitely weren't any others of his kind around up there.
On a cruise I took along the Norwegian Coast in 2004, we had a pigeon that stayed with the ship all the way from Southampton, to the very northern tip of Norway at Honningsvag/Nordkapp. By the time we had reached the high arctic, the pigeon seemed a bit confused, and was surviving on breakfast crumbs left on the rear deck of the ship. AFAIK, that was the only pigeon in Honningsvag that summer, as there definitely weren't any others of his kind around up there.
Jul 21, 2008 | 6:27 pm
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I've noticed a difference in the squirrels in SE US and in Canada around the Vancouver area. In my corner of the country, most squirrels running around are small and brown. In Vancouver, they were rather large (some were close to the size of a small cat) and dark black. They could have eaten their southern neighbors for lunch.
Jul 22, 2008 | 8:10 am
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I've noticed a difference in the squirrels in SE US and in Canada around the Vancouver area. In my corner of the country, most squirrels running around are small and brown. In Vancouver, they were rather large (some were close to the size of a small cat) and dark black. They could have eaten their southern neighbors for lunch.
Jul 22, 2008 | 8:13 am
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Jul 22, 2008 | 9:15 am
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The main difference with black squirrels is that they are pure evil. Instead of feeding on nuts and such, they feed on souls. The ones in DC are particularly evil...
Jul 22, 2008 | 9:21 am
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Jul 22, 2008 | 2:53 pm
#14
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