Feral pigeon
Domestic pigeon; scientific name: Columba livia f. domestica
Photo: UPB-Projektgruppe Trier
A pigeon species home in nearly every city.
The feral pigeon was chosen as a specimen type characteristic of settlement areas (conurbations and agrarian areas) and as a suitable, well-studied bioindicator. Being a cosmopolitan bird, it lends itself to a comparative observation of pollution levels in its various habitats.
The pigeon eggs are used as a specimen. Sampling only takes place in dovecotes during the main laying season from March to August.
Guideline for Sampling and Sample Preparation Feral pigeon (Columba livia f. domestica)
Search data
Target organs/Matrices
| Egg content | Eggs are suited as accumulation indicators and mirror the contamination of the hatching females. The shell protect and inhibits a contamination of the sample. |
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Sampling area
| Saarländischer Verdichtungsraum | Important, old-industrialised conurbation in Germany. |
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| Bornhöveder Seengebiet | Main watershed between the North- and Baltic Sea. |
| Dübener Heide | Region in the chemical triangle of Central Germany. |
Analytes
| Metals | Eighty percent of all elements on earth are metals |
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| Nonmetals | Only eighteen elements in the periodic table |
| Chlorohydrocarbons | Group of organic compounds with at least one covalently bonded chlorine atom |
| Supplementary parameters | Additional information for the interpretation of contamination data |
Sampling period
1993 - 2010