Ministry: Protected ''pigeons'' are rare types found in Maldives

The Environment Ministry of the Maldives has specified that three types of birds declared as protected in the Maldives were in fact not the common pigeon, but three types of doves after confusion arose among the public over why the Ministry declared pigeons as protected species in the Maldives. 

The birds, belonging to the Columbidae family, which is the same as the common pigeon, and often referred to as rare types of pigeons in the Maldives were among 104 types of birds declared as protected in the Maldives yesterday. 

The Ministry said that the confusion arose over the use of the term pigeon by the media and that it had received a lot of phone calls as a result. 

The Ministry specified that the types of birds protected are actually doves. They have been specified as:

• European Turtle Dove
• Oriental Turtle Dove
• Western Spotted Dove

The birds are not commonly found in the Maldives. Other types declared as protected include Buzzards, Lesser Whistling Ducks, Greater Flamingos, Common Cuckoos, and the Peregrine Falcon. 

They were protected under the powers granted to the Ministry by the environment protection laws of the nation. Harming such animals, destroying their habitats, and removing them from their natural habitats is disallowed.