Common Wood Pigeon
Columba palumbus
The Common Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus) is a common doves and pigeon found in 81 countries, weighing about 490 g. The common wood pigeon, also known simply as the wood pigeon, is a large pigeon native to the western Palearctic.
About the Common Wood Pigeon
The common wood pigeon, also known simply as the wood pigeon, is a large pigeon native to the western Palearctic. It belongs to the genus Columba, which includes closely related species such as the rock dove. It has a flexible diet, feeding mainly on plant material, including cereals, and is therefore considered an agricultural pest. Wood pigeons are extensively hunted over much of their range, but this does not appear to have a major impact on their population numbers.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The three Western European Columba pigeons, common wood pigeon, stock dove and rock dove, though superficially alike, have very distinctive characteristics; the common wood pigeon may be identified at once by its larger size at 38–44.5 cm (15–17+1⁄2 in) and weight 300–615 g (10+5⁄8–21+3⁄4 oz), and the white on its neck and wing. It is otherwise a basically grey bird, with a pinkish breast. The wingspan can range from 68 to 80 cm (27 to 31 in) and the wing chord measures 24 to 25.4 cm (9+1⁄2 to 10 in). The tail measures 13.8 to 15 cm (5+1⁄2 to 6 in), the bill is 1.9 to 2. Voice: The call of the wood pigeon is a monotonous five-syllable characteristic cooing phrase, "oooh, oooh, ooh, ooooh, ooh", usually repeated several times. In Ireland and the UK, the traditional mnemonic for this repeated cooing phrase has been interpreted as "Take two cows, Teddy", or "Take two cows, Taffy".
What the Common Wood Pigeon sounds like
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, December, with peak activity in May. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Common Wood Pigeon?
- The three Western European Columba pigeons, common wood pigeon, stock dove and rock dove, though superficially alike, have very distinctive characteristics; the common wood pigeon may be identified at once by its larger size at 38–44.5 cm (15–17+1⁄2 in) and weight 300–615 g (10+5⁄8–21+3⁄4 oz), and the white on its neck and wing. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Common Wood Pigeon?
- The Common Wood Pigeon is a large sized bird weighing about 490 g.
- Where can you see a Common Wood Pigeon?
- The Common Wood Pigeon occurs in 81 countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Sweden, Spain and Germany.
- What does a Common Wood Pigeon sound like?
- You can listen to 3 field recordings of the Common Wood Pigeon on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Common Wood Pigeon?
- The Common Wood Pigeon is most easily confused with the Stock Dove, the Speckled Pigeon and the African Olive Pigeon.
- Is the Common Wood Pigeon endangered?
- The Common Wood Pigeon is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Common Wood Pigeon for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
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