Common Wood-Pigeon
Columba palumbus
Wood-pigeons produce 'crop milk,' a protein-rich secretion from their throat used to feed their chicks, known as squabs.
- Scientific name
- Columba palumbus
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Columbiformes › Columbidae › Columba
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- increasing
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Woodlands, forest edges, parks, and agricultural fields.
- Diet
- Primarily herbivorous: seeds, grains, leaves, fruits, and berries.
- Range
- Europe, North Africa, Western Asia
- Size
- Length: 40-42 cm; Wingspan: 75-80 cm
- Lifespan
- 3 to 5 years in the wild
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Hunting, habitat fragmentation, and agricultural changes.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. Usually flies away if approached. Observe from 5+ meters. If found injured, contact a local wildlife rehabilitator. Do not feed bread, as it lacks nutrition; use seeds or grains if feeding in gardens.
The common wood pigeon ( Columba palumbus ) is a large species in the dove and pigeon family. It belongs to the Columba genus and, like all pigeons and doves, belongs to the family Columbidae. It is locally known in southeast England as the " culver "; This name has given rise to several areas known for keeping pigeons to be named after it, such as Culver Down.
Photo: hedera.baltica, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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