Urban populations of Columba livia across Europe often display a far greater diversity of plumage patterns and color morphs than those typically seen in many South American cities. It is not simply an impression caused by the scenery; the difference is genuinely noticeable from a biological and historical perspective.
One reason is that Europe lies much closer to the species’ original ancestral range. Across the Mediterranean and much of the continent, feral pigeons have been intermixing for centuries — often millennia — with domestic, semi-domestic, and historically bred lineages. Europe also has a very long tradition of pigeon keeping and selective breeding, which continuously introduced new genetic variations into urban populations.
As a result, European cities frequently host pigeons with remarkably varied appearances: deep black “spread” morphs, reddish or ash-red individuals, heavily checkered birds, pale silver forms, almost entirely white pigeons, and irregular mottled patterns that are uncommon in many other urban populations around the world.
Coming from Uruguay, the contrast became especially noticeable while photographing pigeons in Greece. Urban pigeons there often appeared far more variable in coloration than those commonly encountered back home, where populations tend to look more genetically uniform and are usually dominated by the classic ancestral “blue bar” pattern — bluish gray plumage with dark wing bars and iridescent neck feathers.
Perhaps this diversity is something ordinary to those who see it every day, but to me, the remarkable range of colors and morphs found throughout the Old World remains deeply fascinating — a small yet beautiful reminder of the immense genetic and historical richness carried even by the most familiar urban birds.
Thissio, Athens, Greece
Camera: Canon EOS 77D / 9000D
Lens: Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM | Contemporary
Capture Information:
Focal Length: 335.0 mm
Shutter Speed: 1/500
Aperture: f/6.3
ISO: 320
Photo Taken: May 05, 2026
High resolution
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