pigeon, dove
鳩 centers on a specific type of bird: a pigeon or dove. The meanings are straightforward and refer to the same animal.
鳩 combines 九 (which likely contributes the sound) with 鳥 (bird), forming a phono-semantic character for a pigeon or dove.
The left side 九 looks like a stylized bird with a curved neck, and the right side 鳥 confirms it's a bird. Together they make a pigeon or dove.
For キュウ, picture a pigeon cooing "kyuu, kyuu" as it pecks at seeds: the cooing sound cues キュウ.
pigeon; dove
Japanese grosbeak
carrier pigeon; homing pigeon
pit of the stomach; solar plexus
Oriental turtle dove (Streptopelia orientalis); rufous turtle dove
cuckoo clock
pit of the stomach
racing pigeon; homing pigeon
crowned pigeon
pigeon seen on the morning of the New Year (e.g. as one is going to the shrine or temple for the New Year prayers)
mourning dove (Zenaida macroura)
domestic pigeon; feral pigeon
feral pigeon; domestic pigeon
squab; young pigeon
fantail pigeon
domestic pigeon
mountain-dwelling dove
passenger pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius)
pigeon guillemot (Cepphus columba)
Japanese wood pigeon (Columba janthina); black wood pigeon