Birds of Town and Village, Paintings by Basil Ede

Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus) is a member of the family Columbidae, doves and pigeons. In the colder northern and eastern parts of its European and western Asiatic range the Wood Pigeon is a migrant, but in southern and western Europe it is a well distributed and often abundant resident. The three Western European Columba pigeons, Wood Pigeon, Stock Pigeon, and Rock Pigeon, though superficially alike, have very distinctive characteristics; the Wood Pigeon may be identified at once by its larger size at 38???43 cm, and the white on its neck and wing. It is otherwise a basically grey bird, with a pinkish breast.