Chrono-geographical variability of color polymorphism manifestation in the blue rock pigeon Columba livia (Columbidae, Aves) in the Ural and Pre-Ural region

   A study was carried out of the chrono-geographical variability of plumage color polymorphism in synanthropic populations of blue rock pigeons in five cities of the Urals and Pre-Ural regions (Chelyabinsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Tagil, Serov, and Perm) from April 2020 to April 2022. In the northern population of blue rock pigeon (Serov city), the average proportion of the blue morphotype was reliably higher and the average proportion of black-chequer pigeons was lower than in more southern populations. From north to south, the proportion of black-chequer pigeons in the synanthropic populations increased and the average proportion of the blue morphotype de-creased, which was probably determined by climatic peculiarities of the locality. No significant inter-seasonal differences in the frequencies of morphotypes were revealed during the studied period. However, the interannual dynamics of frequencies of most morphotypes in separate localities had seasonal peculiarities. In the northern population (Serov city), the interannual differences in the frequencies of most morphotypes were reliable in both the spring–summer and autumn–winter periods. In the localities located to the south, reliable interannual dynamics was manifested in the spring–summer period only. Representatives of aberrant morphotypes were more sensitive to weather-climatic changes. Blue morphotype pigeons were more resistant to extreme climatic conditions. Pigeons of prevailing morphotypes (black-chequer and blue ones) reflected different behavioural strategies in the population structure formation.

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