Columba livia Gmelin, 1789.

Length 33 cm. This dove is the ancestor of all domestic pigeons; it has a dark bluish-grey head with purple and green iridescence on the neck and wing feathers. There are two black bars on the wings, and the tail is tipped black; the legs are pinkish red. The Rock Dove lives in mountainous areas in deserts and along sea cliffs, usually near water sources such as oases. Its food typically consists of grain and sometimes vegetation. It flies a steady and direct path to and from its feeding places and water sources, and seeks cover during the heat of the day under cliffs and ledges. The nest is a loose shallow cup, fashioned from stems, leaves, and roots of plants and placed in crevices in cliffs, in caves, and in water wells. Two eggs are laid and are incubated for 16-19 days. This bird is a common breeding resident of the Eastern and Western Deserts, the Nile Valley, and Sinai.