{"id":32949,"date":"2023-10-17T13:10:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-17T11:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/24bcc04f-dd69-4b5a-ada9-5c57021c1b0d"},"modified":"2023-10-17T15:37:02","modified_gmt":"2023-10-17T13:37:02","slug":"dove-vs-pigeon-whats-the-difference-between-these-two-cooing-birds","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/dove-vs-pigeon-whats-the-difference-between-these-two-cooing-birds\/","title":{"rendered":"Dove vs pigeon – what\u2019s the difference between these two cooing birds?"},"content":{"rendered":"

What’s the difference between pigeons and doves? Are doves and pigeons the same bird? Tom Hibbert from The Wildlife Trusts takes a look <\/p>

By The Wildlife Trusts\n <\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 17 October 2023 at 11:10 AM<\/p>

\n\n

Pigeons and doves are some our most\u00a0recognisable\u00a0and\u00a0easily spotted\u00a0birds.\u00a0And although they can look very similar they don\u2019t always receive an equal reception.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

Doves are often perceived as pretty\u00a0symbols of peace, whilst\u00a0some\u00a0consider\u00a0pigeons\u00a0a bit\u00a0scruffy\u00a0in comparison.<\/p>

Tom Hibbert from The Wildlife Trusts <\/strong><\/a>takes a look at the differences between a dove and a pigeon.<\/p>

What’s the difference between a dove and a pigeon?<\/h2>
The names \u2018dove\u2019 and \u2018pigeon\u2019 can be deceptive. Scientifically speaking, neither of them carry much\u00a0merit.\u00a0All the birds we know as either pigeons or doves\u00a0belong to\u00a0the same family,\u00a0Columbidae.\u00a0This\u00a0large\u00a0group of\u00a0often\u00a0plump,\u00a0slender-billed birds\u00a0encompasses\u00a0around 350 species, with five regularly found in the UK.<\/p>
The name dove is\u00a0usually\u00a0given\u00a0to the smaller\u00a0members of this family. But\u00a0in taxonomy (the scientific\u00a0process\u00a0of naming and classifying living things),\u00a0there is no real\u00a0distinction between a dove and a pigeon.\u00a0<\/p>
The stock dove is more closely related to the woodpigeon than it is the\u00a0collared dove or turtle dove, and the feral pigeons in our towns\u00a0are descended\u00a0from rock doves.\u00a0In fact,\u00a0the birds we know as pigeons\u00a0may\u00a0even\u00a0be\u00a0called doves in other languages, or vice versa.<\/p>
<\/div><\/figure>Let\u2019s take a look at the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/wildlife\/birds\/guide-to-pigeons-and-doves-of-the-uk\">doves and pigeons you\u2019re likely to spot in the UK<\/a>\u2026<\/p><h3>Feral pigeon vs rock dove<\/strong><\/h3>We\u2019ll start with the most familiar, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/birds\/where-did-feral-pigeons-come-from\">feral pigeon<\/strong><\/a>. These are the\u00a0birds you\u00a0always\u00a0see flocking in towns and cities, scrabbling after scraps. They\u2019re often grey with a metallic\u00a0shimmer on their neck,\u00a0though their markings and colours\u00a0can\u00a0vary\u00a0dramatically.<\/p><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/birds\/feral-pigeon-flying-rat-or-urban-hero\">Feral pigeon: flying rat or urban hero?<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul>Feral pigeons\u00a0are the result of\u00a0human intervention.\u00a0We bred them from\u00a0a wild ancestor, the rock dove.\u00a0These wild birds were domesticated, likely first as a source of food and later\u00a0for many other reasons \u2013\u00a0including\u00a0carrying messages.\u00a0Over time, these domesticated descendants have escaped\u00a0and thrived in urban areas across the world.\u00a0<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rock dove. Image credit: Muhammad Mahdi Karim\/Creative commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>Sadly, the original rock dove has not fared so well.\u00a0They\u00a0were once found on coastal cliffs and in mountainous regions across much of Europe,\u00a0Africa\u00a0and Asia.\u00a0However, as feral pigeons became more common, they\u00a0bred with rock doves and gradually replaced them.\u00a0Truly wild rock doves can now only be found in\u00a0isolated populations, often on islands where they rarely meet feral pigeons. In the UK, they\u00a0still exist\u00a0in a few\u00a0remote\u00a0parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland.\u00a0<\/p>Wild rock doves are virtually indistinguishable from the classic grey version of the feral pigeon.\u00a0They\u2019re\u00a0pale grey, with a purple-green metallic flush on the neck. They have two neat black bars across their wings and a white\u00a0patch on the rump.\u00a0The similarities have made it tricky to monitor wild rock dove populations,\u00a0with scientists needing to gather DNA evidence to\u00a0be certain that populations are genuine.\u00a0<\/p><h3>Woodpigeon<\/strong> vs stock dove<\/strong><\/h3><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"981\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2023\/10\/Wood-pigeon.jpeg?fit=1024,1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-91234\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Woodpigeon. Image credit:\u00a0Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK, CC BY 2.0 <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/2.0\">https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/2.0<\/a>, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure><a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/birds\/facts-about-woodpigeons\">Woodpigeons<\/a> are a common sight in pretty much any part of the UK,\u00a0from farmland to urban parks and gardens.\u00a0They feed on crops as well as seeds, buds, berries\u00a0and nuts.\u00a0If you\u2019ve ever put out a birdfeeder, you\u2019ve probably attracted a woodpigeon or two!<\/p>They\u2019re plump birds \u2013 our largest pigeon,\u00a0around 40cm long and\u00a0often\u00a0weighing over 500 grams.\u00a0Adults are grey with a\u00a0vinous\u00a0wash to the breast\u00a0and a blue-grey head.\u00a0One of their most distinctive features is an obvious white patch on each side of the neck.\u00a0They have a yellow eye and a red and yellow beak.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"686\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2023\/10\/Stock-dove-vs-woodpigeon.png?fit=1024,1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-91236\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Stock dove. Image credit: Chris Cant from Cumbria, UK, CC BY 2.0 <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/2.0\">https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/2.0<\/a>, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>If you\u2019re not paying close attention to your pigeons, stock doves can easily go unnoticed.\u00a0They\u2019re similar to a woodpigeon,\u00a0but smaller and\u00a0with a more even,\u00a0blue-grey plumage.\u00a0They also have\u00a0large, dark eyes\u00a0that give\u00a0them\u00a0a\u00a0cuter appearance.\u00a0However, the\u00a0most obvious difference\u00a0is the lack of any white on\u00a0their neck; stock doves\u00a0just have\u00a0a beautiful, shimmering green patch.<\/p>They\u2019re often found on farmland, but also in parks and woodland.\u00a0Scan through flocks of pigeons feeding on the floor and you might find a stock dove amongst them. They nest in\u00a0tree holes, so\u00a0also spend some time in the\u00a0tops of tall trees.\u00a0Cosy\u00a0cavities\u00a0can be hard to find, which sometimes brings\u00a0them into conflict with jackdaws, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/wildlife\/birds\/guide-to-britains-owl-species\">owls<\/a> and other\u00a0birds that nest in holes.<\/p><h3>What is a turtle dove<\/strong>?<\/h3><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2023\/10\/Turtle-dove.jpg?fit=1024,1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-91231\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Turtle dove. Image credit: Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>Thanks to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/christmas-songs\/\">Christmas song<\/a> ‘<a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/the-12-days-of-christmas-lyrics\/\">12 Days of Christmas<\/a>‘, most people have heard of a turtle dove\u00a0\u2013 but sadly few\u00a0have seen\u00a0one.\u00a0They have the\u00a0unenviable title of the UK\u2019s fastest declining bird.\u00a0Their numbers\u00a0fell\u00a0by 98%\u00a0between\u00a01970\u00a0and\u00a02018.\u00a0<\/p>Turtle doves are migratory,\u00a0spending the summer\u00a0here in open countryside and flying to\u00a0West Africa for the winter.\u00a0They face\u00a0many threats, from the loss of suitable habitat at nesting and wintering sites, to hunting on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/birds\/how-do-birds-migrate\">migration<\/a>.\u00a0The priority in the UK is making sure they can find plenty of food and suitable nest sites. As these are often found on farmland, encouraging and supporting wildlife-friendly farming is vital\u00a0to their recovery.<\/p>Turtle doves are\u00a0small and slim, about two thirds the\u00a0length\u00a0of a woodpigeon.\u00a0They are beautifully patterned, with\u00a0a pink breast,\u00a0rich brown\u00a0wing feathers with dark\u00a0centres, and a patch of black and white stripes on\u00a0each side of the neck.\u00a0When they take flight, they show a striking black tail with a broad white edge.<\/p><h3>What is a collared dove<\/strong>?<\/h3><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"5142\" height=\"3421\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2014\/09\/GettyImages-150029327-7c22ebd.jpg\" alt=\"A Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)\" class=\"wp-image-16680\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Collared dove on a garden fence\/Credit: Tim Oram\/Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>As turtle doves have\u00a0disappeared, another dove has\u00a0enjoyed a meteoric rise.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/birds\/facts-about-collared-dove\">Collared doves<\/a> originated in\u00a0South Asia but naturally spread west into Europe. They\u00a0first bred\u00a0in England\u00a0in 1955\u00a0and have been so successful that they\u2019re now found almost everywhere\u00a0in the UK and Ireland.<\/p>Collared doves are smaller than a woodpigeon,\u00a0with a pale\u00a0grey\u00a0and brown\u00a0plumage,\u00a0red eyes and a black half-collar on the back of their neck.\u00a0They\u2019re\u00a0a common sight in towns and villages, often perched on rooftops or visiting gardens.<\/p><h2>What sounds do doves and pigeons make and how do you tell the difference between them? <\/h2>Most of our doves and pigeons have cooing songs, which can be heard throughout the year. The woodpigeon\u00a0usually\u00a0sings five distinct notes.\u00a0Adding your own words to a bird\u2019s song can sometimes help it stick in your memory.\u00a0When you hear a woodpigeon singing, it may sound like it\u2019s\u00a0saying,\u00a0\u2018good morn-ing\u2026 to you\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>The collared dove has a similar\u00a0song,\u00a0but it only\u00a0has three notes, which are often repeated. The second note is drawn out:\u00a0\u2018hoo-hooooo-hoo\u2019. It may sound like the collared dove is giving\u00a0a more energetic and less formal \u2018good morn-ing, good morn-ing\u2019.\u00a0Others liken it to a football fan chanting \u2018u-ni-ted\u2019.<\/p>Feral pigeons and rock doves\u00a0have a rolling,\u00a0slightly rumbling song, whilst stock doves\u00a0give out a\u00a0series of deep, hoot-like coos.\u00a0Turtle doves famously purr.<\/p>More by Tom Hibbert<\/strong><\/p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/birds\/heron-vs-egret-whats-the-difference\">Heron vs egret: what’s the difference between these two leggy, long-necked, elegant birds?<\/a><\/p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/birds\/swift-or-swallow-whats-the-difference\">Swift or swallow: what’s the difference?<\/a><\/p>Tom Hibbert is a\u00a0<\/em>birdwatcher and content officer for\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wildlifetrusts.org\/\">The\u00a0<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wildlifetrusts.org\/\">Wildlife Trusts<\/a>. 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