wood pigeon

1. Also called ringdove. a European pigeon, Columba palumbus, having a whitish patch on each side of the neck.

2. See band-tailed pigeon.

[1660-70]

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▪ bird

      (species Columba palumbus), bird of the subfamily Columbinae (in the pigeon family, Columbidae), found from the forested areas of Europe, North Africa, and western Asia east to the mountains of Sikkim state in India. It is about 40 cm (16 inches) long, grayish with a white collar and white bars on the wings. Mating is preceded by “courtship feeding” of the female by the male. They lay two eggs per clutch and may raise three broods a year. This large pigeon is a ground feeder, eating seeds, grains, and berries; it has been known to hold more than 60 acorns in its crop. It may be a pest in agricultural areas.

      Some other members of the Columbinae are also called wood pigeons—e.g., the speckled wood pigeon, ashy wood pigeon, purple wood pigeon, Japanese wood pigeon, and others, all Columba species. They are widely distributed in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

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