Field guide to the most commonly encountered mammals and birds

Here, we provide some basic information regarding commonly observed species (plus some others about which we have had queries).  

Feel free to contact us by email if you have any questions regarding species you have encountered on the site.

For more information about mammals, we recommend the Mammal Society's species hub, here, and MammalNet here. For birds, excellent resources are available from the RSPB (here) and the BTO (here).

 

Common UK Mammals All UK Mammals Common UK Birds All Species All Deer

Woodpigeon

 
 

Scientific Name: Columba palumbus

Family: Columbidae

Appearance: Woodpigeons are mostly grey, with white collars, pinkish breasts and orange beaks. 

Body length: 38-44.5 cm

Weight: 300-615 g

Natural history: Woodpigeons are found throughout the UK, excluding parts of the Scottish highlands. They have distinctive loud cooing calls and clattering wingbeats. Crops are a large part of their diet, alongside shoots, berries and nuts.

 (C) António Pena (shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 license)