Palomar's Band-Tailed Pigeon

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The name "Palomar" comes from Spanish-speaking times, when Palomar Mountain was known as the "home of band-tailed pigeons". Thus the name Palomar, meaning "pigeon roost", from the Spanish word "paloma", for pigeon or dove.

Here are some interesting facts about the Band-Tailed Pigeon:

• Although this large, migratory pigeon looks a lot like the introduced Rock Pigeon, it's a native to Palomar. In fact, the Band-Tailed Pigeon is found in two distinct regions in the American West, as well as throughout Central and South America. (1)
   
• Unlike most birds, including other pigeons, they are able to drink without raising their head. (2)
   
• It's the largest pigeon in North America (2), and heavy too: while only two inches longer than a mourning dove, it is three times the weight of that medium-size bird. (3) These wild natives are all muscle and don't take to shelter in severe storms. Flocks of them continue to fly and defy violent weather. (4)
   
• In spite of its size, it's shy and hard to see. (5) But when it takes flight it does so with a noticeably loud flapping of the wings, and it flies with a swift and direct path.
   
• To cool off, these pigeons expose the layer of skin from the inside of their throats. Similar to a bubble-gum bubble, the moist surface increases evaporation.(6)
   
• In its U.S. and Canadian breeding range, it has shown a steady decline since the 1960's but the reasons for the decline are not well-understood, even when factoring in the fact that it is a game bird.5 Ironically, they are sometimes mistaken for the now extinct carrier pigeon. (7)
   
• They sometimes forage on the ground (they love acorns and berries), but they usually forage in the trees... sometimes upside down! (8) In fact, they are so nimble and manipulative that some people at first think they are seeing a parrot or a parakeet. (9)
   
• An entire book has been written about this special bird:  Band-Tailed Pigeons: Wilderness Bird at Risk by Worth Mathewson

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1 http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/band-tailed_pigeon/id 
2 http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/161/_/Band-tailed_Pigeon.aspx
3 http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/08/0831_040831_birdman_pigeon.html
4 http://www.birdsamore.com/byb/pigeon-band-tailed.htm
5 http://audubon2.org/watchlist/viewSpecies.jsp?id=22
6 http://www.evols.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Band-tailed_Pigeon 
7 http://www.thefreedictionary.com/band-tailed+pigeon
8 http://www.birdinginformation.com/birds/pigeons-and-doves/band-tailed-pigeon/
9 http://www.amazon.com/Band-Tailed-Pigeons-Wilderness-Bird-Risk/dp/0881927120