Bird Guide

Common Wood Pigeon vs Stock Dove

Common Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus)

Common Wood Pigeon

Columba palumbus

Large490 gWoodland

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".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Common Wood Pigeon
Recorded by Sonothèque ADVL · Song · Courtils, Manche, Normandy, France · CC0
Photo: Alexis LOURS · CC BY 2.0
Stock Dove (Columba oenas)

Stock Dove

Columba oenas

Medium291 gWoodland

The stock dove is 28–34 cm (11–13 in) long, with a wingspan of 60–66 cm (24–26 in) and a weight of 303–365 g in males, 286–290 g in females. The plumage is a blue-toned grey, with two short dark grey to blackish wingbars on the tertials and greater coverts, and a broad dark grey bar at the tip of the tail. The breast is lightly suffused pinkish-purple, and the sides of the neck have an iridescent patch varying between green and purple depending on the angle of incident light. The eyes are dark, and the bill pink with a yellow tip.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Stock Dove
Recorded by Sonothèque ADVL · Song · Bacilly, Manche, Normandie, France · CC0
Photo: Jaana Siitonen · CC BY 4.0

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Common Wood Pigeon and Stock Dove.