Wood Pigeon (columba palumbus)

This the biggest kind of pigeon in the UK. You can see them everywhere, in gardens, parks and in the countryside. They are larger than feral pigeons and they have a pinky bib and a white patch on their necks. In spring you can often see the male birds trying to impress the females by swooping down from a height or simply strutting around, puffing out their chests to impress. Unlike most birds, the male and female birds look the same. 

Wood pigeons have a reputation for eating a lot and are sometimes seen as a pest by farmers. They are herbivores and they love cabbages, grains, seeds and buds. They have a special pouch in their stomach which means they can store extra food. Once they have filled this pouch, they often sit in a tree to rest and give themselves time to digest!

Often their nests don't look very substantial, but the females tend to lay two eggs at a time. They also feed the young wood pigeons "crop milk" which is a bit like the milk which mammals feed their young.