Columbidae is a bird family consisting of pigeons and doves. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily feed on seeds, fruits, and plants. The family occurs worldwide, but the greatest variety is in the Indomalayan and Australasian realms. Pigeon is a French word from the Latin pipio for a "peeping" chick, while dove is an ultimately Germanic word that refers to the bird's diving flight.

Meat and Poultry

Meat is animal flesh that is eaten as food. Poultry is domesticated birds kept by humans for the eggs they produce, their meat, their feathers, or sometimes as pets.

Humans are omnivorous and have hunted and killed animals for meat since prehistoric times. The advent of civilization allowed the domestication of animals such as chickens, sheep, pigs, and cattle, and eventually their use in meat production on an industrial scale.