Tag Archives: Columba melitensis

Columba melitensis Lydekker

Malta Pigeon (Columba melitensis)

The Malta Pigeon was described in 1891, it is known exclusively from fossil bones that were excavated from depostits in the Ghar Dalam Cave (and probably other caves) on the island of Malta.

The species was obviously somewhat similar to the extant Rock Dove (Columba livia Gmelin), but apparently slightly smaller.

The bones can be dated to an age of about 10000 years, making this species a case of a Pleistocene/Holocene borderline extinction. 

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edited: 13.01.2019