The genus was introduced in 1841 by the English ornithologist and bird artist John Gould with the white-quilled rock pigeon (Petrophassa albipennis) as the type species.[2][3] The genus name is a portmanteau of the Ancient Greek words petros, meaning "rock", and phassa, meaning "pigeon".[4]
They are not closely related to Columba livia, the rock dove (also called rock pigeon), a species which includes the domestic and feral pigeons as well as the wild species native to Europe, North Africa and Asia.
References
^"Columbidae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-08-05.
^Gould, John (1840). "Genus Petrophassa". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. Part 8: 173. Although bearing the year 1840 on the title page, the volume did not appear until 1841.
^Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 300. ISBN978-1-4081-2501-4.
^Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (2020). "Pigeons". IOC World Bird List Version 10.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 5 March 2020.