pigeon for dinner?

So i bought myself Culinaria Spain as a present and have started reading it cover to cover. 100 pages in and already i feel bursting with knowledge of cheese, wine, seafood, garlic, and mushrooms. Admittedly, i havent read a book in a while and why i'm reading this one i dont exactly know. After all, it's mainly a cookbook. However, knowing the history of hazelnut harvests in spain versus the middle east adds to the hazelnut eating experience for me, for example. What i really really want is to buy Culinaria caribbean but it's like $75... In Spain there's a recipe for dirty rice that includes among the ingredients a whole pigeon. Can you buy those in NYC? How can you be sure it isnt a street rock dove cause i wouldnt eat one of those if you paid me...