Corralitas Drive: Native Band Tailed Pigeon

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 7, 2014.  As if rats with wings weren't bad enough, native Band Tailed Pigeons are gigantic.  This one was about 100' away atop an Italian Cypress Tree.  They are just so distinctive in size & shape, they catch my eye.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Band Tailed Pigeons are about 3 times the size of the standard non-native Rock Pigeon and Mourning Dove you see everywhere.  And they flap around trees very loudly.  The largest flock I've seen was a total of 6 birds.  I would not want to see a flock of dozens or hundreds as the average pigeon flocks are on the river.