Stock Dove

Columba oenas

Identity, life and distribution

Stock Dove Columba oenas is a blue-grey pigeon with an iridescent green neck patch. Its Arabic common name is a broad everyday expression for wild pigeon, making the scientific name especially important for precision.

It lacks the Woodpigeon’s white neck patch and shows short black wing bars. Separating it from Rock Dove and domestic forms requires several characters rather than grey colour alone.

Its habitat combines farmland for feeding with large, cavity-bearing trees for nesting. BTO reports a typical clutch of two eggs. Losing old trees can therefore remove nest sites even when feeding fields remain available.

Occurrence beside farmland does not make it a feral domestic pigeon. Useful documentation combines wing and neck views with locality, without chasing the bird. The accompanying photograph is illustrative, not evidence of local breeding.

The African Bird Club documents the species in Morocco. This alone does not provide a detailed seasonal map for Arab countries or establish resident breeding wherever it is observed.

www.bto.org — Stock Dove · www.rspb.org.uk — Stock Dove · www.africanbirdclub.org — Stock Dove

Photo: Cristina Hutchison