From Opus

Photo by Richard Ford
Hampshire, UK, February 2004

Columba palumbus

[edit] Identification

40-42cm

• Grey body
• Pink breast
• Green, white and purple neck patch
• White wing patch
• Black tipped tail
• Bright yellow iris
• Pink legs and bill
  

Juvenile: browner, duller, no neck patch.

Photo by IanF
Cowpen Bewley Woodland Park, Billingham, Cleveland, May 2009

[edit] Distribution

Europe, North Africa and Asia

[edit] Taxonomy

[edit] Subspecies^[1]

There are 5 subspecies:

• C. p. azorica:

• Eastern and central Azores

• C. p. maderensis:

• Formerly mountains of Madeira. Probably extinct

• C. p. excelsa:

• Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia

• C. p. palumbus:

• Europe to western Siberia, eastern Turkey and Iraq; winters to northern Africa

• C. p. iranica:

• Southern Transcaspia to Iran

• C. p. casiotis:

• Kazakstan to northern Afghanistan, northern Pakistan, north-western India and Nepal

[edit] Habitat

Parks, gardens and woods.

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] Diet

The diet includes grain, crops and seeds.

[edit] Breeding

Both sexes build the platform nest from twigs in a bush or shrub, particularly in evergreens. The 2 white, glossy eggs are incubated by both sexes for 17 days; the young fledge 29-35 days later. There can be up to 3 clutches. Breeding can start as early as March and continue until November.

[edit] Vocalisation

Call: ru-hoo ru ru-hoo.

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2010. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2010. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/Clements%206.5.xls/view
2. British Garden Birds
3. Wikipedia
4. Birdwatching

• List of references

[edit] External Links