African Olive Pigeon vs Hill Pigeon

African Olive Pigeon

Columba arquatrix

Large400 gForest

The adult male African olive pigeon is a large pigeon at 37 to 42 cm (15 to 17 in) in length and a weight of 300 to 450 g (11 to 16 oz). Its back and wings are maroon, with the shoulders heavily speckled with white spots. The underparts are maroon with heavy white spotting, and the head is grey with yellow patches around the eye, and a yellow bill. The neck plumage, used in display, is streaked maroon and white, the underwing and undertail are dark grey, and the feet are yellow. Females are very similar to males but somewhat duller.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Matthew Hine · CC BY 2.0

Hill Pigeon

Columba rupestris

Medium245 gRocky

The hill pigeon is a stout-bodied pigeon, similar in size and general appearance to the rock dove (Columba livia) but mainly differentiated by its tail pattern which consists of a broad, white tail-band across the black tail. Other differences include a paler mantle and upper wings and a white patch on the back. In flight, the tail pattern is similar to the snow pigeon (Columba leuconota), but lacks the contrast between the head and neck in that species.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Dmitry Kulakov · CC BY 4.0

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: African Olive Pigeon and Hill Pigeon.