- Columba oenas
Identification
- Small rounded head
- Bluish-grey
- Pink breast
- Glossy green neck patch
- Two short dark wing bars
- Short tail
- Pink legs
Similar Species
This medium-sized pigeon is slightly smaller than the closely related Rock Pigeon. It has a similar plumage but lacking the white rump. It also has a dark eye and the plumage is generally darker (beware aberrantly plumaged Feral Pigeons).
Distribution
Europe, Middle East, north Africa and Asia.
Europe: Scandinavia, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Faroe Islands, British Isles, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Portugal, Spain, Mallorca, Andorra, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria, Italy, Baltic States: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, Belarus, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Yugoslavia, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia, Greece, Crete, Malta, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine and Moldova
Africa: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt
Middle East: Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Arabian Peninsula, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia
Asia: Russia, Siberia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Mongolia and China
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are two subspecies[1]:
- C. o. oenas:
- C. o. yarkandensis:
- Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to Tien Shan and eastern Xinjiang
An additional subspecies hyrcana is generally considered invalid[2].
Habitat
They can be found in a wide variety of habitats, including woodland, marshes, with reed beds, meadows, scrubland, farmland, cliffs and quarries.
Behaviour
Have been observed drinking water whilst flying.
Diet
The diet includes young shoots and seedlings. Stock Doves are a staple bird of farmland and are often seen feeding on crops.
Breeding
They nest in trees in small copses and woods.
Vocalisation
References
- Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- Avibase
- Birdwatchers Pocket Guide ISBN 1-85732-804-3
- BF Member observations
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Stock Dove. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 19 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Stock_Dove
External Links
Search the Gallery using the scientific name:
Search the Gallery using the common name:
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