Jennifer Chong

The white doves released during wedding ceremonies are usually not doves at all, but white homing pigeons, which are specially trained by professionals to return home. In fact, when real doves are released, they are unable to survive in the wild and usually die, according to White Dove Release Professionals, an industry group founded in the mid-1990s to provide a list of humane bird releases.

Last weekend, dozens of white ringneck doves were discovered cold and huddled in front of the Hall of Science in Flushing, Queens, said animal rescuers who have been trying to round them up.

“It happens too frequently,” said Kathy Dusart, the president of the White Dove Release Professionals. “They don’t understand there is a difference in the birds.”

Of the estimated 45 or so doves, 18 have been recovered so far, but one died after it was rescued. The rest of the birds remain near the Hall of Science, but were in the trees or otherwise out of reach.

“Someone just dumped them all, or some agency released them as part of a celebratory function,” said Jennifer Chong, a licensed wildlife rehabilitation specialist who took part in the rescue. “They have no homing instinct at all and are basically domestic birds. They don’t have much of a survival instinct.”

A call came in on Sunday from a passer-by who saw them at the Hall of Science and reported them to an animal rescue group Ms. Chong, a volunteer who lives in Flushing, was called in to help because she lives nearby. She and another volunteer, Jeff Novak, spent hours trying to round up the birds. A second attempt was made to round up birds Monday.

The doves right now are at the home of P. J. McKosky, who is a volunteer with the Empty Cages Collective, an animal rescue group. He said that people do not understand that the birds are essentially domestic pets. “It’s abandonment,” Mr. McKosky said. “If the birds don’t return, it’s like if you take a dog or cat in the middle of the woods and release it.”

Now, Empty Cages is trying to find adoptive homes for the birds.

Homing pigeon releases can run from $200 to $500 depending on where, what conditions and number of birds. “Because people are on a budget, they think, ‘Why should I pay someone to bring birds when I can go to the store and buy them?'” Ms. Dusart said.

White doves sell for about $20 apiece in pet stores. “”I feel that every pet shop should either post a notice or have their salespeople ask what the purpose of their purchase is, because these little doves should never be turned loose,” she said.

The White Dove Release Professionals has a detailed explanation of how to tell the difference between homing pigeons and doves. Homing pigeons are a lot larger, about twice the size. They also have dark eyes, as opposed to the doves’ red eyes. Also telling is that the homing pigeons will have a fleshy swelling above the beak called a cere, which the birds themselves do not. In addition, for certain professional homing pigeon handers, the birds will have a numbered band around the leg, which helps trace them if they get lost.

The professionals also put a number of other constraints in releasing the homing pigeons. For one, the birds have to have enough time to get home before sunset. They do not fly in inclement weather. They should fly in areas they have been trained to fly in.

In contrast, doves are not trained to go anywhere. “When they turn the birds loose, they don’t have anywhere to go,” Ms. Dusart said. “Plus, they are very weak fliers, they usually end up as hawk food or owl food.”