Common wood pigeon

The common wood pigeon is a large pigeon of the western Palearctic, in the genus Columba alongside the rock dove, measuring 38 to 44.5 centimetres long and marked by white patches on its neck and wings and a pinkish breast. It feeds mainly on plant material, especially cereals, which makes it a significant agricultural pest across much of its range, yet its population remains stable despite millions being shot annually. Carl Linnaeus formally described the species in 1758 in the tenth edition of Systema Naturae, giving it the Latin name palumbus, an old word for wood pigeon.