Yet another superlative for Dubai? Feral pigeon Columba livia on the 124th floor of the Burj Khalifa

摘要

The Burj Khalifa in Dubai is the world's tallest building, rising to 829.8 m. It also boasts the world's highest outdoor observation deck at 452 m on its 124th floor. These are among at least 15 claimed world records for the structure. Here, we report a Feral Pigeon Columba livia from a remarkably high urban perch above this observation deck, observed at c17.00 h on 25 April 2015. It was a feral bird with generally white plumage, blackish to purple feathering on the head with light speckles, dark primaries and a dark tail (Plate 1). E-bird includes many records of C. livia at and near this locality but without more details or photographs. There is also another photograph on the website 'pinterest.com' from high on the same building, taken by a building climber, also being a bird with overall white plumage and darker marks although with a slightly different pattern. Doubtless, other birders and tourists have observed the species here. The individual that we observed spent most of the c2 h when we were present at the locality perched on external structures above the glazing which borders the observation deck's exterior opening. It occasionally came down to ground level within the observation deck to eat crumbs and scraps left by tourists.