Bird
Common Wood-Pigeon
Columba palumbusAlso known as Wood Pigeon, Woodie, Culver
Common wood-pigeons are robust, soft-grey birds easily identified by a white patch on the side of the neck and prominent white bars across the wings visible in flight. Their five-note cooing call resonates through woodlands and urban parks across the western Palearctic, accompanied by a sudden clattering wing-clap on takeoff. Couples perform graceful soaring flight displays in spring before building flimsy twig nests in tree forks to raise multiple broods of squabs each year.
GranivoreUrban WildlifeAbundant
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyCereal grains, Acorns, Ivy berries
Predators
- Eurasian Sparrowhawk
- Peregrine Falcon
- Red Fox
ThreatsAgricultural persecution and sport hunting
HabitatsWoodlands, farmland, city parks, and suburban gardens
Life span3 to 5 years in the wild
Classification
- OrderColumbiformes
- FamilyColumbidae
- GenusColumba
- SpeciesColumba palumbus
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Identification: Look for the bright white neck patch on adults and white wing bands during flight.
- Disturbance: Keep a moderate distance to avoid scaring them into a noisy wing-clattering burst of flight.
- Feeding: Provide bird tables with seeds or corn in autumn when natural food supplies drop.
Frequent Companion stevem4560 / CC BY 4.0 · cc-by
Close Relative (c) Birds of Gilgit-Baltistan, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
Close Relative Ron Knight from Seaford, East Sussex, United Kingdom / CC BY 2.0 · cc-by
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Urban Dwellers
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