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Woodpigeon Columba palumbus   [Linnaeus, 1758]
Other Names Trends & Distribution Breeding & Survival Biometrics Books & Links
Order: Columbiformes Family: Columbidae
BTO Codes: WP , WOODP EURING No: 6700
Number in Britain: 2.7 million territories (Summer)
Conservation Status:
UK: GREEN
European: Not a species of concern
Global: Least Concern
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Status in UK: (A)  Resident Breeder, Winter Visitor
Subspecies: palumbus recorded in Britain (of 5 subsp. in the world)
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Length: 41 cm Wingspan: 78 cm Weight: M/F: 450 g    
Scientific name from: L.: columba=a pigeon or dove and L.: palumbes=woodpigeon
World Distribution: Europe, se&c Asia, nw Africa
Habitat: Towns, woodland
Diet: Seeds, leaves, fruit (esp. of Ivy), buds and root crops
TitBit: Rather than feed their young insects, pigeons feed them a milk formed from sloughing off fluid-filled cells in the crop lining and is more nutritious than human or cow's milk  
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Population and Distribution
Population Trend: Wider Countryside Report
Regional Trends: Scotland   Wales   England   English Regions
Distribution: Atlas Maps    (Help with the New Atlas)    BBS Maps
British Population Size:
    Summer: 2.5 to 3 million territories in 2000
    First Record: 7th Century [Fossil evidence from Devensian (last) glaciation, 10-120,000 yr ago]
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
    Most frequent in: Deciduous Wood
    Also common in: Scrub, Arable Farmland, Pasture Farmland, Villages, Towns
    And found in: Coniferous Wood
Relative Frequency in Each Habitat:
European Population Size:
    Summer: 8 to 14 million pairs   (Trend in Numbers)
Population Assesment from Birds in Europe
Distribution in Europe
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of: WCA(III),WBD(I*,II*, III*)
Survey Results: BirdTrack
Garden BirdWatch
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Breeding and Survival
Egg Size: 41 x 29 mm Egg Weight: 18.9 g (of which 7 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records: 757
Clutch Size: 2 eggs
Incubation: 17 days by the: Male + Female
Fledging: 33 - 34 days as: Altricial, downy
First Clutches Laid: 30 Apr (22 Feb - 20 Aug)
Number of Broods: 1-2
Trends in Breeding Productivity

Number Ringed: 871
Adult Survival: 0.607 Juvenile Survival: No data
Age at First Breeding: 1 year Typical Lifespan: 3 years
Maximum Recorded Age: 17yr8m
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Biometrics
Ring Size: F
Wing Length Adult: 252.2 ± 8.2 Range 238 - 265 mm, N =1881
Juvenile: 239.9 ± 16.1 215 - 257 mm, N =408
Male: 258.7 ± 7.3 243 - 268 mm, N =75
Female: 250.4 ± 8.0 235 - 260 mm, N =84
Weight Adult: 507.4 ± 71.37 Range 400.0 - 612.5 g , N =1180
Juvenile: 401.7 ± 76.98 295.0 - 548.0 g , N =314
Male: 528.6 ± 72.68 420.0 - 620.0 g , N =38
Female: 487.8 ± 76.53 . 269.0 - 580.0 g , N =55
Source:
British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data
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Other Names
Common Wood Pigeon
Gaelic: Calman-coille Welsh: Ysguthan
Danish: Ringdue Dutch: Houtduif
Finnish: Sepelkyyhky French: Pigeon ramier
German: Ringeltaube Hungarian: Örvös galamb
Icelandic: Hringdúfa Irish: Colm Coille
Italian: Colombaccio Norwegian: Ringdue
Polish: Grzywacz Portuguese: Pombo-torcaz
Spanish: Paloma torcaz Swedish: Ringduva
Local Names: Ring Dove
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For More Information...
Books and Monographs:
   Goodwin, D. 1983 Pigeons and doves of the world (3rd ed) Cornell University Press, Ithaca [598.623 GOO]
   Murton, R.K. 1965 The wood-pigeon Collins, London [598.523 MUR]
   Colquhoun, M.K. 1951 The wood-pigeon in Britain HMSO, London
See Also:
Wikipedia entry
State of the Nations Birds by Chris Mead
Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides.com
Selected scientific papers published 1980-2005
Find more papers on Google Scholar
Find more papers on Scirus

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BirdWeb logo, click to go to BirdWeb BirdFacts home | BTO Home
Email: birdfacts@bto.org

These data should be cited as:
Robinson, R.A. (2005) BirdFacts: profiles of birds occurring in Britain & Ireland (v1.21, Jun 2008). BTO Research Report 407, BTO, Thetford (http://www.bto.org/birdfacts)

 

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