akk | Pigeon vs. Dove

solo posed this surprisingly interesting question in an LJ-poll: Is there a difference between pigeons and doves?

The answer apparently depends on perspective:

Taxonomy: the same (more or less)
pigeon and dove are used to describe birds belonging to the columbidae bird family. The nomenclature isn't strict. The common pigeon found in cities is the domestic form of the rock dove, so there...

Linguistics: (probably) different
Pigeon: French
Dove is somewhat similar to the German word for both: "Taube"

Connotation: different
Pigeon is a nuisance,
dove is a symbol of peace.

Personally, I like the practical explanation:

If it shits on your car, it's a pigeon.
If it coos to your declaration of love, it's a dove.
If it shits on your car while cooing to your declaration of love, you're out of luck.
(Is it a doveon or a pigove, then?). ;)