Plain Pigeon vs Ring-tailed Pigeon

Plain Pigeon

Patagioenas inornata

Large365 gForest

The plain pigeon is a large-bodied bird 38–41 cm (15–16 in) long that superficially resembles a large feral pigeon or a very plainly-plumaged band-tailed pigeon. At a distance it appears pale blue-gray overall. The head, hindneck, breast, and part of the folded wing are colored with a red-wine wash. When folded, the wing shows a white leading edge; in flight, it forms a conspicuous wing bar. The eyes have a pale yellow iris; the legs and feet are dark red, and the bill black. The female is slightly smaller and duller than the male.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region · CC BY 2.0

Ring-tailed Pigeon

Patagioenas caribaea

Medium250 gForest

The male ring-tailed pigeon is 38 to 48.5 cm (15.0 to 19.1 in) long and the female 38 to 43 cm (15 to 17 in). One bird whose sex was not reported weighed 250 g (8.8 oz). The adult male's head, neck, and underparts are reddish to pinkish. Its hindneck has a metallic green or bronze patch and the rest of the upperparts are brownish gray. The tail is gray (darker near the body) with a slate band across its middle. The eye is orange surrounded by bare red skin. The adult female is similar to the male but with an olive or brown cast to the wings, redder underparts, and a less metallic hindneck. Voice: The ring-tailed pigeon's advertising call is "a series of 4–5 cooing notes" rendered as "cooOOh...cooOOh...cooOOh...".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Ron Knight from Seaford, East Sussex, United Kingdom · CC BY 2.0

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Plain Pigeon and Ring-tailed Pigeon.