This species mainly eats plants: green leaves, buds, flowers, seeds, grains and berries. It occasionally eats animals without backbones. It often feeds on the ground, but sometimes in trees. Both parents feed their young liquid food brought up from their crops, known as “bird milk.” Hunting it has a long tradition in Georgia. Hunting rules are set separately from the Red List.
Common woodpigeon
Columba palumbus
Donsky · Old TbilisiGeorgia field photo
A large grey pigeon with a white neck patch and a broad white wing bar in flight. Confirmed in Georgia as a year-round resident, a passage migrant, and a winter visitor on the 2024 national bird checklist.
Key facts in one look
- Size
- 38–45 cm
- Diet
- Leaves, seeds, grain
- Status in Georgia
- Resident, migrant, winter visitor
- Habitat
- Woods, parks, farmland edge
- Family
- Columbidae
- Conservation
- Global LC
The common woodpigeon (Columba palumbus) is a large pigeon, also called a forest pigeon. It belongs to the pigeon family (Columbidae). According to 2024 records, it nests in Georgia and can be found there year-round. It also appears during migration and comes to spend the winter. Adults are about 38–45 cm long.
Identification
Common woodpigeon: how to identify it
It is Georgia’s largest pigeon. It has a white patch on the side of its neck and a broad white stripe on its wing that shows in flight. Its deep coo has five notes. A 2024 list records it in Georgia as a year-round resident, a migrant and a winter visitor.
Birds of this species are about 38–45 cm long. Their wingspan is often about 75–80 cm, and they often weigh about 300–615 g. They have a stocky body and a broad chest. Adults have a grey head and back, with a pinkish tint on the chest. There is a white patch on each side of the neck, next to feathers that shimmer green and purple. The beak is pinkish orange, with a pale tip and a white area at its base. The eyes are pale yellow. A white edge shows on the folded wing; in flight, it appears as a broad white band. The tail is grey with a dark tip.
Young wood pigeons have no white patch on the neck yet, or it is faint, but the white band on the wing is visible. So a bird can still be a wood pigeon even if it has no neck patch. Young birds are duller in colour. Males and females look alike. The wood pigeon’s deep coo has five notes and repeats; the collared dove’s plaintive call has three. Wood pigeons often feed on the ground, and their wings make a noise as they take off.
According to the 2024 list, the wild pigeon (Columba livia) lives in Georgia year round. It is smaller, has no white patch on its neck, and shows no broad white stripe on its wing in flight. Wild pigeons living in cities are often mottled. The stock dove (Columba oenas) is listed as nesting in Georgia and being seen during migration and in winter. It has a more compact body. It has no white neck patch or white wing stripe, but it does have black patches on its wings. The turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur) is much smaller. Its back has a chestnut and black pattern that looks like scales, and its neck has a patch with black and white stripes. The collared dove (Streptopelia decaocto) is a lighter grayish brown, with a single black half-ring on the back of its neck. This atlas does not yet have separate pages for the wild pigeon, stock dove, or the collared dove.
It poses no direct threat to people. In Georgia, a large gray pigeon with a white patch on its neck and a white stripe visible on its wing in flight belongs to this species; it is not a feral city pigeon.
Often confused with
Look for it in forests, at forest edges, in parks and gardens, near trees on river floodplains, and in the countryside where trees alternate with open areas for feeding. It looks for food both on the ground and in trees; it usually builds its nest in a tree. According to 2024 records, some of these birds stay in Georgia year-round, some pass through during migration, and others spend the winter here. The interactive map below shows public photo records on iNaturalist. A highlighted region means it has been recorded there in these records, but it does not mean the bird is evenly distributed across the region. Do not assume it is evenly distributed throughout Georgia, including on treeless mountain plateaus and in bare high mountain areas. An older description of Georgia as a whole says it is found almost everywhere, especially in the east. Its numbers increase in winter as birds arrive from the north. It is found in various kinds of forest and in areas covered with shrubs, mostly in floodplain forests.
Recorded (photo observations)field records
This map uses public, photo-backed iNaturalist observations in Georgia. A region with at least one retained record is shaded on the map. Points and shading show evidence of occurrence, not continuous presence across a region. Some public coordinates are approximate. Record counts reflect observation effort, not population density.
Data: Reptiles.ge + iNaturalist · Methodology
Interactive map is loading.
- Field observation
- Several records in one spot
- Photo record
- Region with records
It is active by day. Its deep coo has five notes and is often described as “roo-hoo hoo-hoo-hoo,” with the second note more pronounced. It often coos from the top of a tree. Its wings beat noisily as it takes off. In flight, a broad white band is easy to see on its wings. It builds a flat nest of twigs in a tree, sometimes quite high up. It usually lays two white eggs. Both parents sit on the eggs for about 17 days. The young leave the nest after about a month. It may lay eggs several times in one season. These details come from across the species’ wide range, not from nests studied in Georgia. According to a 2024 list, some breed in Georgia and stay year-round, while others are seen there during migration or in winter. Birds in the northern and eastern parts of the species’ range are more likely to migrate seasonally. In southern and central Europe, some stay in the same area year-round, while others migrate seasonally.
Globally, the wood pigeon’s risk of extinction is assessed as low. A 2024 Georgian list also rates that risk as low within Georgia, but this updated assessment has not yet been approved and is not a legally effective status. The wood pigeon is not included in Georgia’s official 2014 Red List (Decree No. 190). Under the published rules, hunting wood pigeons (Columba palumbus) is permitted from the fourth Saturday in August through 15 February, with a daily limit of 10 birds. Before hunting, check the Department of Environmental Supervision’s current notice for that hunting year. Do not disturb nests or wild birds, or catch wild birds, outside the permitted season or without a permit.
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Questions
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the most important questions about Common woodpigeon.
Yes. According to the 2024 information, some birds of this species live in Georgia year-round, while others are seen here during migration or in winter.
It is found in forests, at forest edges, in parks and gardens, and in rural areas with trees. Photos on the map record it in Tbilisi, Kvemo Kartli, Kakheti, Abkhazia, Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti, Mtskheta-Mtianeti and Shida Kartli. A single record does not mean it is found throughout the region.
An adult has a white patch on the side of its neck and a broad white stripe on its wing that shows in flight. Wild pigeons and stock doves do not have both of these markings. The turtle dove is much smaller, with a chestnut back patterned like scales.
Birds of this species are about 38–45 cm long. Their wingspan is often about 75–80 cm.
It mainly eats leaves, seeds, grains and berries. It feeds its young with food it brings back up from its crop.
According to 2024 data, it lives here year-round and breeds here. It is also seen during migration and in winter.
Yes. It lives in Georgia year-round and nests there.
It poses no danger to humans. Globally, it is classified as LC. The 2024 national list also gives it an LC classification, but that assessment has not yet been approved. It is not included in the 2014 Red List, which remains in force. In Georgia, it is listed as a game species, and a hunting season has been published. Do not hunt or capture it without following the rules set by law.
References
What this profile is based on
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
Prepared by the Reptiles.ge editorial team from the sources listed here.
