Friday, 26 September 2025
In the leadup to this year’s Aussie Bird Count, our very own National Public Affairs Manager Sean Dooley is talking us through how to tell the difference between commonly confused backyard birds.
In this video, we’re learning about the difference between doves and pigeons – some of Australia’s most commonly confused and mis-counted backyard birds. Our National Public Affairs Manager Sean Dooley tells us if there is even a difference at all.
See below for the full video transcript
Sean Dooley (00:00):
A lot of people ask us, “What’s the difference between a Pigeon and a Dove?” And to be honest, there isn’t really any difference.
Sean Dooley (00:10) They both belong in the same family. It’s just that pigeon is a French word that applies to those types of birds and doves comes from the German.
It’s almost a bit arbitrary as to which got named which, which creates quite a bit of confusion because when people are entering surveys, they think they’re seeing a feral pigeon or a domestic pigeon, and they don’t realise that it’s actually technically known as a Rock Dove.
The Rock Dove is the ancestral bird of all the birds that we know as Domestic Pigeons, or Feral Pigeons, or Homing Pigeons, or Racing Pigeons, or rats with wings.
Although we really prefer that you don’t call them rats with wings because they’re just making a living, surviving in a very hostile urban environment.
And if you can insist on calling them rats with wings, well, Mike Tyson is a pigeon-fancier, and we’ll send him around to sort you out.
How to tell the difference between commonly confused backyard birds. This time, it’s Crested Pigeons vs Topknot Pigeons!
To help you start preparing for the Aussie Bird Count we're explaining the difference between commonly confused birds: Myna and Miner.
Now in its twelfth year, the Aussie Bird Count is Australia’s biggest annual citizen science event. Every year, tens of thousands of Australians of all ages and
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