The family of birds that includes pigeons and doves is found throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world. Three species of wild pigeons and three species of doves existed until 1913 in North America, when the single remaining passenger pigeon died in a Cincinnati zoo. A second species of forest pigeon continues to occur throughout many of the Caribbean Islands and into the southern tip of Florida. The third species, the Band-tailed pigeon (Columba fasciata), is a western species with two distinct populations: one in the intermountain West (in the “four corners ares” of the Southwest) and the other along the West Coast, ranging from southeastern Alaska and western British Columbia south to California and into Mexico. It is migratory and classed as a migratory game bird (historically hunted for food and recreation) and as a priority species in Washington.
Managing Pacific Northwest Forests for Band-Tailed Pigeons (PDF)
