Field Guide
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Common Wood Pigeon
Columba palumbus
Not yet photographed by the community
The UK's most numerous bird, a large grey pigeon with white neck patch.
Species Profile
Green List (not of conservation concern)
- Lifespan
- 5–8 years in the wild; occasionally up to 15 years in captivity
- Size & Weight
- 40–42 cm long, wingspan 64–72 cm; 300–500 g
- Habitat
- Deciduous and mixed woodlands, parks, gardens, and farmland throughout the UK.
- UK Distribution
- Found year-round across the entire UK as a resident species; populations are boosted by continental migrants in autumn and winter.
- Diet
- Seeds from cereal crops, clover, and wild plants; also feeds on berries, leaves, and grain from agricultural areas.
- Predators
- Peregrine falcons, sparrowhawks, and occasionally goshawks; eggs and chicks taken by crows and magpies.
- Mating Season
- February to October, with peak breeding March to September
- Breeding
- Clutch of 2 white eggs; incubation period 17–19 days; typically 2–3 broods per year; both sexes incubate and feed chicks.
- Behaviour
- Highly social and often seen in flocks, especially in winter. Males perform distinctive bowing and cooing displays during courtship. Notable for their loud, repetitive 'coo-coo-coo, coo-coo' call, particularly audible in spring.
- •The white patch on the neck is a key identifying feature, visible in flight and at rest.
- •Wood pigeons have adapted well to urban and suburban environments and have increased in numbers since the 1960s.
- •They can drink seawater, unlike most birds, allowing them to survive in coastal regions.
- •Both males and females produce 'crop milk' to feed their chicks—a nutrient-rich secretion from the crop.
- •Their explosive wing clap on takeoff is an anti-predator alarm signal that alerts nearby birds to danger.
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