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Pigeon
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Bird of the family Columbidae, order Columbiformes, distinguished by its large crop, which becomes glandular in the breeding season and secretes a milky fluid (‘pigeon's milk’) that aids digestion of food for the young. There are many species and they are found worldwide.
New World species include the mourning-doves, which live much of the time on the ground. The fruit pigeons of Australasia and the Malay regions are beautifully coloured. In the USA, there were once millions of passenger pigeons Ectopistes migratorius, but they have been extinct since 1914.
© Research Machines plc 2008. All rights reserved. Helicon Publishing is a division of Research Machines plc.
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The bird of paradise represents liberty. The Southern Cross recalls the country's links with Australia. Effective date: 16 September 1975.
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