The Rock Pigeon is ubiquitous and numerous in our area and occurring and breeding in every square. The wild bird is the ancestor of domestic pigeons which come in a wide variety of colours. Many of these birds now live ferally, particularly in larger towns and inter-breeding almost certainly takes place. In time this will probably lead to a dilution of the wild population as has happened in many parts of Europe. The race in our area, neglecta, has a grey rump.

The species is especially common in Kanpur where large flocks inhabit the ancient monuments and breed in them. Many temples and mosques support large populations and they are often fed there by devotees. It is also found in all the parks and on many taller buildings. It frequently nests on window sills and external air conditioning units, so its cooing call when breeding permeates many a room in the city. It appears to breed in every month. In rural areas few villages can be without a flock. There it feeds on grain at storage depots and on agricultural fields, particularly after harvest when huge gatherings, often mixed with various dove species, can be seen. It is a very gregarious species and often very confiding