This is the spotted Dove, Spilopelia chinensis, or spotted turtledove and yes, it belongs to the pigeon family.
This is a species that usually moves in pairs or small groups, feeding on the ground on grass seeds, grains, fallen fruits and seeds of other plants. But they will also take insects and other food.
It is a bird that has become very accustomed to being in contact with humans, and often lives in cities where it can easily get food from parks or gardens.
There are 310 different species of pigeons and doves, and pigeons and doves are likely the most common birds in the world, distributed everywhere on Earth, except for the driest areas of the Sahara Desert, Antarctica and its surrounding islands, and the high Arctic.
Pigeons and doves will live for a relatively long period of time, generally about 10 to 12 years.
In general, the terms “dove” and “pigeon” are used somewhat interchangeably. Pigeon is a French word that derives from the Latin pipio, for a “peeping” chick, while dove is a Germanic word that refers to the bird’s diving flight.
The smaller species are often called doves and the larger species pigeons, but this is in no way consistently applied, and historically, the common names for these birds involve a great deal of variation between the terms.
And they can be worth lots of money...well, maybe not the ones on my roof, but in 2013, a Belgian racing pigeon called Bolt has been sold to a Chinese businessman for a world record price of 310,000 euros