2024/12/05 by W. J. Bernhard Smith, Steven J. Portugal, Michał T. Jezierski · 1 voice · 6 citations
Environmental Science · #Wildlife Ecology and Conservation #Avian ecology and behavior #Fire effects on ecosystems
paper · pdf · doi:10.1093/ornithology/ukae050
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 wild form is the Rock Dove (Columba livia). By studying 5 global positioning system–tagged wild 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 tantalizing opportunities for research into the pre-domestication human–pigeon relationship. More generally, this work highlights the value of researching laboratory model species in nature.