Details
Columba palumbus
The common wood pigeon is a large pigeon of European and western Asian woods and farmland. Diurnal birds move between trees and ground in loose groups.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It uses forest, edges, parks, farmland, and hedged landscapes. Tall trees provide nesting and roosting sites, while fields and lawns provide food.
Wingspan is about 68-80 cm and weight about 300-600 g. A bulky gray body, white neck patch, and white wing bars are distinctive in flight.
Active by day, it rests in trees and feeds in groups on the ground. Males perform display flights with audible wingbeats in the breeding season.
It is herbivorous, eating seeds, buds, leaves, fruit, and grain. Seasonal food shifts from tree crops to fields and grassland.
Pairs build loose platform nests of twigs. Adults feed chicks with crop milk before they begin taking plant foods.
Its status is listed as Least Concern. It adapts well to towns and farms and may form large winter feeding flocks.
