Bird 🕊️
🕊️
Columba palumbus
| Size | 40–42 cm Similar to a small chicken |
|---|---|
| Weight | 480–550 g About the weight of a can of baked beans |
| Lifespan | 3 years |
| Rarity | Common |
| M vs F | Sexes look identical; both have white neck patches and pink-purple breast |
| Habitat | Woodland, farmland, parks, gardens — one of Britain's most adaptable birds |
| Best time | Year-round |
| Conservation | UK: Green LC |
Did you know?
Woodpigeons are one of the only birds that can drink without tilting their head back — they suck up water continuously like using a straw
Woodpigeons are one of the only birds that can drink without tilting their head back — they suck up water continuously like using a straw
More for experts
Unlike most birds, they produce "crop milk" — a nutritious secretion from the crop lining fed to chicks for the first few days of life
Often confused with
Stock Dove (no white neck patch), Feral Pigeon (variable colours)
Stock Dove (no white neck patch), Feral Pigeon (variable colours)