Reader Mike Spies, who has a place in Jamaica, noticed that wild White- crowned pigeons (Columba leucocephala) resident there resembled some white- capped Catalonian tumblers he had seen on the blog.
Of course, “Cats” are only one of the myriad breeds of Darwin’s pets, domestic pigeons descended from the Rock dove (Columba livia.) But the resemblance can be remarkable.
Here is a White Crowned wild, in Key West.:
..and in captivity:
Here is a dark- capped Cat:
..and here a bronze one.
I thought, having seen them in the Virgin Islands,where they seem to live high in trees, that White Crowns were much bigger than the tumblers, but Mike assures me that they are all wing and feather. Good eating though!