European Wood Pigeon
Columba palumbus palumbus

AKA: Wood Pigeon, Common Wood Pigeon, Ringdove, Cushat, Cushadoo, Quist, Ring Pigeon 


命upert Stephenson

 
命upert Stephenson

 
咕ill Buckton                                                                      和aris Strazds


咐acob Hadomi                                                                                   命upert Stephenson
Hatchlings                                                                                            Juvenile Male


命upert Stephenson
21 day old EWP, just fledged from nest that is situated in a tall conifer tree in the middle of an industrial estate.
(Picture taken with a camera phone)

All of the pictures above are of the nominate race; all European Wood Pigeons in US collections are from an importation from England by Garrie Landry.

Distribution: Can be found in almost all natural & man-made habitats, with the highest numbered populations being in well-wooded agricultural lands of the lowlands & in the edges of deciduous woodland. Found throughout Europe except northern Scandinavia & the high mountains of Norway & central Europe, across to western Siberia & Caucasus; Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran & in eastern Arabia. In North Africa occurs in mountainous areas of Morocco, Algeria & barley into  northern Tunisia; on the larger Mediterranean islands, the Azores & formerly Madeira. The eastern population occurs around the western Himalayas in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, northern Afghanistan, Pakistan, India & Nepal.

Six races recognized: (click on highlighted latin names to see pics of that race)
C. p. palumbus (Linnaeus 1758), Britain & Europe east to Siberia & south to Iraq. 
C. p. maderensis (Tschusi 1904), Madeira, presumed extinct where it has not been seen or recorded for 40 years.
C. p. excelsa (Bonaparte 1856), North Africa
C. p. azorica (Hartert 1905, Azores 
C. p. iranica (Zarudny 1910), Iran & area
C. p. casiotis (Bonaparte 1854), Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, northern Afghanistan, Pakistan, India & Nepal

Description: Length: 42 cm. A large pigeon that is bluish grey body, forecrown, crown & nape dark slate grey; sides of neck have stiff feathers forming 'lines" of iridescence green to purple; directly below is a patch of white feathers. Hindneck greenish purple fades to brownish grey mantle. A bold white crescent patch on both open & closed wings. Back, rump & uppertail coverts blue grey, tail has ill defined broad blackish band. Throat & chin blue grey; breast mauve pink shading to paler pink on belly , vent pale grey. Underwing bluish grey. Iris pale yellow to greenish white, eye cere greyish; bill yellowish with pale tip & reddish at the base, nose cere white. Female similar, sometimes having a smaller white neck patch & less pinkish on the chest. Juvenile  dull brownish, no iridescence or white neck patch; has faint fawn or buff feather edges, iris grey tinged yellow, bill yellowish with darker tip & brownish red base, legs & feet greyish purple.

Voice:

Nesting: Clutch two white eggs; Incubation 16-18 days; juveniles fledge after about a month. 


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