inkadillo
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Zev D.
Joined: Jun 27, 2022 Last Active: Oct 6, 2024 iNaturalist
they/them or he/him | eBird profile
PNW-based artist/writer, lifelong nature enthusiast, and currently a college student once more (pre-veterinary track). I came to this site as an eBirder who wanted a way to document all the non-bird things I saw as well, and have become pretty familiar with a broad range of organisms found in the Willamette Valley and nearby areas.
Identifications:
I usually try to err on the side of broader IDs, especially when it comes to less-observed organisms (aka a lot of non-avian and non-mammalian things). I usually don't agree with someone else's more specific ID unless I'm able to devote the time to looking through available resources myself and come to the same conclusion. I don't mind being asked for input or identification on other people's observations, but do keep in mind that you may not get a very precise ID from me.
I prefer to have my observations at species rather than subspecies-level ID, with a few notable exceptions; but I'm not going to argue with anyone who identifies my observations to subspecies. Exceptions: Animals that have been domesticated; the common garter snake (for personal "gotta-see-them-all" reasons); some mammal populations that have a history of flip-flopping between species & subspecies and are clearly distinguishable by range at least; some vulnerable/threatened/endangered subspecies.
All Rock Pigeons (Columba livia) in the Western Hemisphere are variety domestica ("Feral Pigeon" is the common name for American English users); most Rock Pigeons observed elsewhere in the world are also variety domestica. Pigeons that are C.l. domestica are descendants of domesticated birds who were released/escaped from captivity. Even if they are now living free and independent of humans, they are genetically distinct from the remaining populations of truly wild Rock Pigeons found in relatively few places in Eurasia and northern Africa (although interbreeding can and does occur). Aside from range, colorations, markings, feather abnormalities, and type of habitat can also be used to determine if a pigeon is C.l. domestica.
On that note, the bulk of global observations of Red Junglefowl (Gallus gallus) and Muscovy Ducks (Cairina moschata) are also domestic-type birds. Sometimes their feral populations may have been established for more than a century, just like feral Rock Pigeons.
