Woodpigeon

Columba palumbus

The familiar large pigeon over most of Europe - known as Ring Dove in some parts of Britain. Found over all sorts of habitats from suburbs to remote woodland. Feeds together in flocks and manages to exploit many crops for part of year - much shot as pest of agriculture. Sedentary in South but moves out of North and East of breeding range in winter and flies South and West. Song is five coos with the emphasis on the second.

This is a large grey pigeon with a yellow eye and white mark with an iridescent patch of green above it on the side of the neck. The birds have a very distinctive advertisement flight with wing clapping on the ascent and then a glide downwards repeated - sometimes five times before landing. This shows off white crescent markings in each wing. Doing well in Britain with latest population estimate of 2,550,000 pairs - and almost another 1,000,000 in Ireland.

A big, bold successful pigeon.

The following Bird On! picture is available:

Woodpigeon (35mm Colour Slide by Roger Tidman)

Length	410 mm
Closed wing	250 mm
Weight	500 gms

A Bird On! Sketch by Chris Mead
Copyright © 1996 by Jacobi Jayne & Company and Chris Mead