Anja Murray: Pigeons and doves — and peace and learning

A famous study trained pigeons to distinguish between paintings by Monet and Picasso by giving them food when they pecked at a button in response to works by Picasso, but not for works by Monet

A pair of pigeons at The Lough, Cork: The feral pigeons we see in urban streets and parks have been domesticated longer than any other bird, a result of millennia of selective breeding. Picture: Larry Cummins

As I write, a crab apple tree across the street is bustling with life. Its small, rust-red ornamental apples have drawn in a flock of fluffed-up wood pigeons, each seated comfortably among the branches, feasting on the small fruits plucked apart from the still-green leaves. The birds’ rosy-hued feathers at their nape are accentuated by the soft afternoon sunlight.

I pull out one of my bird identification books, to check again the difference between woodpigeons, pigeons, and doves, and return to the window, but the birds have moved on already. Woodpigeons, pigeons, and doves are closely related, with very similar appearance, shared behaviours and traits. They belong to the family of birds called Columbidae.