Wood pigeon

The wood pigeon ( Columba palumbus L. ) is largest and most common of the Pigeon S Europeans. It is widespread as well in forest as in urban and rural spaces. The colonization of the big cities is more recent than that done by the Pigeon biset. In the big cities, and in Paris in particular, these birds frequently nest in the flowers stand of the balconies or the terraces where they lay two eggs. They reconsider to the initial nest from generation to generation tens of years.

The Western-European populations of the wood pigeon are Erratique S and sedentaries, while the populations of north and the east are migrating. The British population leaves its island only exceptionally on the occasion, extremely rare, of a prolonged snowing up.

The long-migrating populations cross the the Pyrenees to winter in the Iberian peninsula, where they feed from nipples in the “ Dehesa ”. These have been the migrating long populations which support the essence of the pressure of hunting during their migration to the autumn and, for a few years, in their winter parking. They are in strong reduction, while the populations erratico-sedentaries seem to be maintained or progress.

Precise details

The vernacular denomination of the pigeons is rather confused on the French territory. One raises in particular:

Columba palumbus (wood pigeon) = " palombe" in the south-west of France and also from now on in south-east where old denomination of " biset" practically disappeared in reference to this species.

Columba œnas (Pigeon wad) known as Rouquet in the south of the Loire, or wood pigeon or pigeon of the fields.

Columba livia (Pigeon biset) known as pigeon, domestic pigeon, pigeon of the cities, pigeon and cliffs in a wild state (rock'n'roll dove in English).

Habitat

The wood pigeon is able to resist conditions weather such as the rain, the cold or a strong moisture but badly supports torrid heat, the aridity, prolonged freezing and snowing up on the ground. One thus finds it under the average latitudes of all Western Europe which are of a moderate climate. One finds some broods, but in a marginal way, in the Mediterranean steppes and zones.

In the beginning, its habitat was primarily forester, but this medium of will be colonized better as much if it is bordered of released spaces put in culture or if the forest is strewn with cultivated clearings. But this species adapts very easily to climate changes and modifications of its environment.

One will be able to find broods with the top of 1500 meters in the Alps and between 1500 and 3000 meters in the Himalayas in summer, however the species is supposed to avoid the rock zones of mountain.

The wood of ashes, oaks and alders and the young plantations of conifers are readily used to nest.

Food

The mode of the wood pigeon primarily consists of vegetable matter (green sheets, bays, buds, flowers, roots and seeds) but of the invertebrates are consumed occasionally. The food proceeds mainly on the ground by picorage but it can be also carried out in the trees, the birds showing rare agility then. On the ground, the food often takes place groups some in which it reigns a true hierarchy. The dominant birds being in the center of the group nourish themselves more quickly than the subordinates placed, them, in periphery.

It was observed that the greatest quantity of food is taken in end of the afternoon.

The behavior of the birds is however strongly depend on the period of the year and the nature of the exploited cultures. Indeed, in winter, the woodpigeon will pass 95% of its day to seek its food whereas in autumn and summer this percentage falls at 10% in the fields from cereals. That is due to the difference in energy value of consumed food: more food is rich and abundant, less the birds have need of time to obtain their daily ration.

The young wood pigeons

This chapter is interesting for those which want to launch out in “the breeding”.

The young woodpigeons are nourished at the beginning of their life with milk of jabot. This milk is a slightly caseous formation (casein: protein of milk) secreted by the glandular epithelium of the diverticulum œsophagien, i.e. the jabot. It is composed of 65 to water 85%, from 13 to 19% of proteins, 7 to 13% from fat contents and rock salt 1,5%. It contains also vitamins has, B1 and B2, a little calcium but not glucids contrary to that of the mammals.

After 15 days “of breast feeding”, this milk is made up only of nutritive matter 20%. What is not provided any more by the milk of jabot is replaced by vegetable foods slightly prédigérés by the parents. The young people make to régurgiter the parents by stimulating the bottom of their throat using their nozzle, much more flattened than that of the parents (some compare it even with a nozzle of “pelican”…).

Behavior

Social

The wood pigeon is a very gregarious bird in particular on the spot of food and the dormitories but that apart from the period of reproduction. Observations give a report on gatherings of more than 100.000 individuals, perhaps more. The dormitories on the sites of wintering very often gather several thousands of birds.

During the reproduction which is Mars at July, the woodpigeon indeed carries out a primarily family life, shared between the couple and the offspring, life which one will be able to thus oppose to the remainder of the year or she live in company.

As much of animals, these regroupings which create an effect of mass ensure its defense against the predatory ones.

It is together that the woodpigeons rise the morning to go to seek their food and to water themselves, it is together that they will make their nap, side by side perched.

Sexual

The wood pigeons are monogamists.

The couples are generally formed for a season of reproduction, but they can last longer, sometimes even until the disappearance of one of the two partners. Sexual maturity is reached as of the second year of life. The nests are installed high in the trees, with the division of several branches. The territories are defended by the males. The stronger the population density is and the more reduced the territories are.

It was shown, starting from ringed individuals, that the young people tended to return to nest on their birthplace.

Bridal parade

The air parade of the wood pigeons is close to that of the other family members of Colombidés and is held in 3 phases:

the male goes up in the airs slowly on 20 to 30 meters,
it seems to stop then rocks by beating very quickly wings to imply very characteristic slappings,
finally, it plunges on 7 to 8 meters the wings open to horizontal and the well spread out tail.

This cycle can be renewed up to 5 times before the birds do not decide to be posed.

Dormitories

The wood pigeon likes, apart from its period of reproduction, to find themselves in broad band and to meet on common dormitories to spend the night.

These dormitories are selected according to parameters like the height of the trees, the density of the foliage which must leave the sight of the ground, the frequentation of the zone by the man and the predatory ones.

These dormitories can be sometimes far away from the zones of food. A case was announced where the woodpigeons traversed 65 km outward journey and return twice a day (for the nap and the other for the night). In general, taking into account the “food law of least effort” which governs the animal world, the woodpigeons prefer to settle in sectors where the resources are sufficiently close to the dormitories.

It is obvious that these gatherings attract the predatory ones. The woodpigeons put at the point a technique consisting in gathering initially until the night on a “pre-dormitory”, and at the last moment, almost in the darkness, passing quickly on the true dormitory, leaving behind the undesirable ones.

The winter, the urban population likes to sleep in the parks and the gardens of the cities where the individuals feel well protected and where they can gain 1 or 2 degrees compared to the countryside, a considerable energy saving during such a time.

Nesting

There are considerable variations concerning the season of reproduction according to the areas. For example, the urban populations of Great Britain start to nest as from mid-February whereas their congeneric rural starts one to two months later. The differences between the areas are often dependant on the access to food: in North Africa, the layings begin in May - June, with the the Azores from May to July whereas in Central Europe, they do not begin before mid-April.

The nests are generally installed rather high in the trees, in a fork, seldom on the ground or in a low hedge. The same nest can be used for several layings and during several years. This nest is a vague platform from 17 to 26 cm in diameter, made up of rather coarse brushwood. The eggs are in general of a size of 41 X 29 mm, white color, and weigh on average 18,5 G. The laying is made up from one to two eggs, seldom more.

Theoretically, in nondisturbed zones and without predatory, the woodpigeons can carry out three layings per annum. There are generally two brooded for the majority of the couples, and the brooded seconds are often brooded replacement.

The incubation lasts 17 days on average and is ensured by the two parents in turn, the male brooding only one third of the duration of the day, and generally of 10:00 to 17:00

The young people are born in an incomplete level of development and thus require to be brooded still at least 7 to 8 days more. The small ones are nourished with Lait of jabot several times per day at the beginning, then only twice a day at the end of 8-10 days by each parent.

The young woodpigeons are independent from 20 to 35 days.

Vocalizations

The wood pigeon roucoule.

There exist considerable variations from one individual to another on the level of the stamp of the voice, rate/rhythm and duration of the song. Moreover, the song of the male is more guttural that of the female, whose vocalizations are softer and rather sporadic.

The plumage

The plumage is thick, but fragile. The least small shock can remove feathers or sleeping bag to him. But that can be to him of a great utility, especially at the time of contacts with its principal predatory. The principal natural enemy is around, and one knows that this one attacks under, by planting his claws in the breast piece by a very fast reversal of the body. Most of the time, the goshawk sets out again with simply a good handle of feathers between its greenhouses.

The dress of the woodpigeon is of a light blue grayed all in nuances. The breast piece starts from a pale pink and draws towards the white when one approaches the tail. This one is long and carries black bars at its end, on the ventral face.

The neck is decorated of a white collar not closed whose edges transfer with the dark green and the crimson. This collar appears only from 6 to 8 weeks. It is a good means to differentiate a very young individual from an adult. On the other hand, as soon as the bird carries this collar, it is more delicate to determine its age.

The criterion which undoubtedly separates the birds from first year of the older birds is the presence of a maroon edging clearly on certain feathers of the wings and more particularly the feathers which recover the large rectrices.

A good criterion of differentiation when the youthful moult post is finished, is the color of the iris and the base of the nozzle which are gray bluish for the young woodpigeons. The point of the nozzle is of a yellowish white and the legs are pink mauve or blue gray with marks crimsons.

The oldest individuals have a pale or yellow iris yellow lemon-yellow sulfurous, the base of the nozzle becomes red rose, crimson or bright red, the point of the sharp or yellow yellow nozzle orange and the legs red deep crimson or dark red.

The moult of the coat is never complete. Indeed, one will be able to find individuals with series of new feathers separated by old feathers from the previous year. The hunters which raise woodpigeons in captivity often cause the moult in their tearing off the feathers, especially those of the tail which tend to be damaged in the birdcages.

It is it should be noted that there is no sexual Dimorphisme.

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