23 Photos That Showcase The World's Most Beautiful Doves And Pigeons

I’ve never thought of pigeons as anything more than fairly dull and ubiquitous creatures that leave a lot of poop behind. But some people are really into these creatures – and they come in a variety of shapes and colors, partly because they may be one of the first domesticated birds. In fact, people have been breeding (and cross-breeding) them for hundreds of years. There are even show pigeons.

Nicobar pigeon: Found on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India and throughout the Malay Archipelago, the Solomons, and Palau, the Nicobar may be the closest living relative to the extinct dodo. They're large birds with beautiful green and copper hackles, a short, white tail, and metallic green plumage.