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Stock Dove Columba oenas   [Linnaeus, 1758]
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   Page updated:16-January-2013
Order: Columbiformes Family: Columbidae
BTO Codes: SD, STODO EURING No: 6680
Number in Britain: 309 thousand territories (Summer)
Conservation Status:
UK: AMBER
European: Not a species of concern
Global: (Details)
Links to: Images   Videos   Sound  
Status in UK: (A)  Resident Breeder, Passage/Winter Visitor
Subspecies: oenas recorded in Britain (of 2 subsp. in the world)
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Length: 33 cm Wingspan: 66 cm Weight: M/F: 300 g    
Scientific name from: L.: columba=a pigeon or dove and Gr.: oinas=a pigeon
World Distribution: Europe, c Asia, nw Africa
Habitat: Farmland, towns, open woodlands
Diet: Seeds, leaves and buds, occasionally invertebrates
TitBit: A hole-nester, Stock Doves will even nest in rabbit holes, and of old East Anglian warreners would place crossed-sticks so the parents could continue to feed the chicks while preventing them from leaving the nest so they could be taken later for the pot.  

Population and Distribution

Population Trend: BirdTrends   
Regional Trends: England   English Regions
Distribution: Atlas Maps    BBS Maps
Abundance Maps: Population Density   Change in Density   Guide to Interpretation
British Population Size:
    Summer: 309 thousand territories in 2000
    First Record: Recorded in Medieval times [Fossil evidence from Devensian (last) glaciation, 10-120,000 yr ago]
    Conservation Status: AMBER because Important Breeding Population
   Previous Assessments: 2002-2007 AMBER     1996-2001 AMBER  
   Races of Concern: oenas AMBER (Important Population)
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
    Most frequent in: Arable Farmland
    Also common in: Villages, Deciduous Wood
    And found in: Pasture Farmland
Relative Frequency in Each Habitat:
European Population Size:
    Summer: 520 to 710 thousand pairs   (Trend in Numbers)
Population Assesment from Birds in Europe
Distribution in Europe mapped by the EBCC Atlas
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of: WBD(II*), Bern(III)
Survey Results: Results from BirdTrack
Results from the Winter Farmland Bird Survey

Breeding and Survival
Egg Size: 38 x 29 mm Egg Weight: 16.7 g (of which 7 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records: 368
Clutch Size: 2 eggs 2.04 ± 0.34 (1 - 3) N = 2223
Incubation: 21- 23 days 21.90 ± 2.53 (17.5 - 26.5) N = 2207   by the: Male + Female
Fledging: 28 - 29days 28.00 ± 3.14 (21 - 33) N = 2665 as: Altricial, downy
Source:
British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Nest Record Scheme data
First Clutches Laid: 4 Jun (6 Apr - 24 Aug)
Number of Broods: 1-4
See trends in Breeding Productivity
Number Ringed: Annual Totals
Adult Survival: 0.550       
Juvenile Survival: 0.400 (in First-Year)  
Age at First Breeding: 1 year Typical Lifespan: 3 years
Maximum Recorded Age: 9 years 2 months 12 days (set in 1962)
Read a summary of Ringing Recoveries

Biometrics
Ring Size: E
Wing Length Adult: 223.0 ± 8.4     Range 196.0 - 243.0 mm, (N = 316)
Juvenile: 212.0 ± 10.3     Range 188.0 - 232.0 mm, (N = 66)
Male: 224.2 ± 6.3     Range 197.0 - 240.0 mm, (N = 45)
Female: 222.7 ± 10.6     Range 196.0 - 240.0 mm, (N = 73)
Weight Adult: 327.5 ± 40.84 Range 195.3 - 435.0 g , (N =141)
Juvenile: Insufficient Data
Male: 330.9 ± 36.79 Range 205.0 - 435.0 g , (N =27)
Female: 326.2 ± 37.10 Range 208.0 - 430.0 g , (N =51)
Seasonal: Summer 325.5 ± 31.43 (N = 534)   Autumn 316.8 ± 39.10 (N = 90)   Winter 347.6 ± 36.49 (N = 114)  
Source: British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data

Other Names
Stock Pigeon
Gaelic: Calman-gorm Welsh: Colomen Wyllt
Danish: Huldue Dutch: Holeduif
Finnish: Uuttukyyhky French: Pigeon colombin
German: Hohltaube Hungarian: Kék galamb
Icelandic: Holudúfa Irish: Colm Gorm
Italian: Colombella Norwegian: Skogdue
Polish: Siniak Portuguese: Pombo-bravo
Spanish: Paloma zurita Swedish: Skogsduva

For More Information...
Books and Monographs:
   Goodwin, D. 1983 Pigeons and doves of the world (3rd ed) Cornell University Press, Ithaca [598.623 GOO]
See Also:
Find scientific papers on Google Scholar or Scirus by clicking the icon
Wikipedia entry
BirdLife species page
Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides
Read State of the Nations Birds by Chris Mead