Pigeons & Doves

About 340 species, nearly worldwide. Both parents produce crop milk, a nutrient-rich secretion sloughed from the lining of the crop and fed to the young, a system otherwise known only in flamingos and male Emperor Penguins. Clutches are small, usually one or two eggs, but follow one another quickly. Pigeons also drink by suction, without raising the head, which almost no other bird can do.