Woodpigeon Columba palumbus   [Linnaeus, 1758]

Jump to: Other Names Trends & Distribution Breeding & Survival Biometrics Books & Links

For details point at or click the button; for sources point at the button

   Page updated:16-January-2013

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: (Details)
Links to: Images   Videos   Sound  
Status in UK: (A)  Resident Breeder, Winter Visitor
Subspecies: palumbus recorded in Britain (of 5 subsp. in the world)
.
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.  

Population and Distribution

Population Trend: BirdTrends   
Regional Trends: Scotland   Wales   England   English Regions
Distribution: Atlas Maps    BBS Maps
Abundance Maps: Population Density   Change in Density   Guide to Interpretation
British Population Size:
    Summer: 2.5 to 3 million territories in 2000
    First Record: Recorded in Anglo-Saxon times [Fossil evidence from Devensian (last) glaciation, 10-120,000 yr ago]
    Conservation Status: GREEN
   Previous Assessments: 2002-2007 GREEN     1996-2001 GREEN  
   Races of Concern: palumbus GREEN
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:
Migration routes: Map of foreign ringing recoveries
European Population Size:
    Summer: 8 to 14 million pairs   (Trend in Numbers)
Population Assesment from Birds in Europe
Distribution in Europe mapped by the EBCC Atlas
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of: WCA(III),WBD(I*,II*, III*)
Survey Results: Results from BirdTrack
Results from Garden BirdWatch
Results from GBW Factsheet

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 - 34days as: Altricial, downy
First Clutches Laid: 30 Apr (22 Feb - 20 Aug)
Number of Broods: 1-2
See trends in Breeding Productivity
Number Ringed: Annual Totals
Adult Survival: 0.607 ± 0.016       
Juvenile Survival: 0.520 (to age . )  
Age at First Breeding: 1 year Typical Lifespan: 3 years
Maximum Recorded Age: 17 years 8 months 19 days (set in 1999)
Read a summary of Ringing Recoveries

Biometrics

Ring Size: F
Wing Length Adult: 252.5 ± 8.2     Range 209.0 - 284.0 mm, (N = 1881)
Juvenile: 238.2 ± 13.0     Range 195.0 - 270.0 mm, (N = 1242)
Male: 257.5 ± 7.3     Range 232.0 - 276.0 mm, (N = 75)
Female: 251.4 ± 8.0     Range 227.0 - 274.0 mm, (N = 84)
Weight Adult: 517.0 ± 71.37 Range 186.0 - 740.0 g , (N =1180)
Juvenile: 402.4 ± 75.7 Range 187.7 - 670.0 . , (N =980)
Male: 532.7 ± 72.68 Range 188.0 - 680.0 g , (N =38)
Female: 500.6 ± 76.53 Range 186.0 - 640.0 g , (N =55)
Seasonal: Summer 501.2 ± 55.98 (N = 2084)   Autumn 514.3 ± 61.99 (N = 842)   Winter 539.7 ± 71.71 (N = 1377)  
Source: British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data

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

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:
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