About the Snow Pigeon
The snow pigeon is a species of bird in the genus Columba in the family Columbidae from hilly regions of central Asia. They are grey, black, pale brown and white birds and two subspecies are recognised: C. l. leuconota occurs in the western Himalayas from western Afghanistan to Sikkim and C. l. gradaria occurs in the mountains of eastern Tibet and from eastern Nan Shan (Qinghai) to Yunnan and extreme northern Myanmar. The birds forage in open country in pairs or small groups, feeding on grain, buds, shoots, berries and seeds. They roost at night on cliffs, breeding in crevices where they build untidy stick nests and lay a clutch of usually two white eggs. The International Union for…
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
Snow pigeons have a blackish head contrasting with a white neck collar and white underparts shading into ashy on the abdomen. Their backs are brownish-grey with a white patch on the lower back. Their wings are pale grey with three brown bands. Their black tails have a clear white band in the middle which narrows and curve forward to reach the tip of the outermost tail features. Young birds have narrow, pale buff margins to the feathers of the upper parts and wings. The white of the underparts is sullied with buff.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it lives
When to see it
Peak activity in April · a variable species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Nilgiri Wood PigeonColumba elphinstoniiThis pigeon appears dark grey and a black and white patterned patch made of white tipped stiff feathers on the back of the neck is distinctive.
Speckled Wood PigeonColumba hodgsoniiGeneral Characteristics: Size of the Speckled wood pigeon is usually 38–40 cm (15–15.5 in) for adults.
Ashy Wood PigeonColumba pulchricollisThe ashy wood pigeon is a member of the bird family Columbidae, found in temperate forests of southeastern Asia.
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