noun
General term for pigeons and doves; in Japanese, no strict distinction like in English. Often seen in parks and urban areas.
公園で鳩にパンくずをあげた。
I fed bread crumbs to the pigeons in the park.
鳩が平和の象徴として使われる。
Doves are used as a symbol of peace.
Rare variant kanji form; not commonly used.
鳥 is the general word for 'bird'; 鳩 refers specifically to pigeons and doves.
The kanji 鳩 is a phono-semantic compound with 鳥 (bird) and 九 (phonetic component). The word はと is native Japanese, with uncertain origin.