Woodpigeon
- The common wood pigeon is the largest pigeon species in the forests of Eurasia, with a body length exceeding 40 cm and a weight reaching up to 930 grams.
- The common wood pigeon, despite its large size and bulky body, is capable of performing breathtaking acrobatic maneuvers in the air.
- Common wood pigeons carefully inspect each piece of nesting material with their beak before deciding whether to use it or discard it.
- Wild wood pigeons are difficult to keep in captivity because they are naturally free-spirited birds and can easily leave their owner's home.
- Wood pigeons feed their young with "pigeon milk," a substance produced in the crop of adult birds. Chicks drink this substance by deeply inserting their beak into the crop.
Age
The common wood pigeon can live from 3 to 6 years, with a maximum lifespan of 15 years and a theoretical lifespan of 16 years; the age of sexual maturity ranges from 3 months and 1 week to 1 year and 6 months. During the “embryo” stage, the embryo develops inside an egg, receiving nourishment from the yolk and growing until hatching. The “nestling” stage sees the young bird in a nest, where parents feed it special bird’s milk and softened seeds for a period of from 1 day to 1 month and 1 week. Following this is the "rapid growth post-fledging" stage, when the young bird learns to find food independently and fly well, lasting from 1 month and 1 week to 1 year. The eyes of a chick open between 4 days and 1 week. The "adult" stage, when the bird can reproduce and actively coos in spring while defending its territory, lasts from 1 to 15 years.
Phenotype
The common wood pigeon has short, strong beaks suited for gathering seeds and acorns from the ground, and adult individuals possess yellow or orange eyes with dark pupils that aid in long-distance vision. Adult plumage is greyish-blue with bright white patches on the sides of the neck and a white stripe on the wing; young birds after rapid growth have grey plumage with less vibrant white spots on the neck than adults. The species’ wings are broad and strong, enabling swift flight between trees. A fledgling has a short beak with soft waxy material used to take food from the parents' crop, and its body is covered in soft yellowish down that helps retain heat. The young also have plumage that is grey with less pronounced white spots on the neck than adults.
Physiology
The common wood pigeon reaches a body height of from 68 to 75 centimeters and a body length of from 38 to 46 centimeters; its mass ranges from 467 grams to 0.5 kilograms, with a wingspan of 75 centimeters. The embryo stage has a body mass of from 18 to 28 grams and a body length of from 3.5 to 4.2 centimeters. During the nestling stage, the young have a body mass of from 25 to 280 grams and a body length of from 10 to 25 centimeters. The stage of rapid growth results in young wood pigeons with a body mass of from 300 to 480 grams and a body length of from 35 to 42 centimeters. Adult wood pigeons have a body mass of from 450 grams to 0.62 kilograms and a body length of from 38 to 46 centimeters.
Habitat
The common woodpigeon inhabits terrestrial landscapes and woodland areas, including up to 1.5 kilometers above sea level. The species is found in temperate mixed forests with warm summers and many oaks, birches, and maples, as well as flooded meadows with abundant grass where the ground is often inundated. Wood pigeons also occupy taiga environments characterized by cold winters and numerous coniferous trees such as fir and pine. The climate varies, including consistently wet conditions with frequent rain and cool summers, summers with plentiful rain and snow in winter, warm summers and plentiful rain, warm summers and mild winters, and comfortable summers with temperatures from 20 to 25 degrees Celsius.
Shelter
The Вяхирь inhabits horizontal branches of trees at a height of 2 to 10 meters, where its nest is located. This nest structure, used for laying eggs and raising offspring, is constructed from branches and twigs. The female Вяхирь uses this shelter to create a safe place for the brood.
Geography
The common wood pigeon is found within the Palearctic biogeographical region and occupies several ecosystems, including Celtic broadleaf forests, broadleaf forests of Western Europe, coniferous forests of the Qilian Mountains, Balkan mixed forests, Baltic mixed forests, and coniferous and mixed forests of the Pyrenees.
Feeding
The common wood pigeon primarily consumes plant matter, gathering seeds and grains from the ground or fields, and also eating acorns, berries, and young leaves. The species forages by collecting food with its beak from the surface of the earth or plants, consuming seeds, grains, acorns, berries, leaves, coniferous cones, grain, nuts, fruit, insects, and seeds. Its daily food intake ranges from 35 to 70 grams. Squabs are fed invertebrates, specifically beetles, butterflies, flies, Hymenoptera, bedbugs, Orthoptera, dragonflies, stoneflies, and net-winged insects. The common woodpigeon obtains food through searching and foraging, swallowing it whole.
Reproduction
The development of the embryo takes 2 months and 1 week; the size of the brood is 1 to 2. The species reaches maturity from 10 months to 1 year and 2 months. The male attracts a female with loud cooing and aerial displays, and the pair builds a simple nest in a tree. The offspring are 1 to 2 in number, and both parents take turns incubating the eggs and feeding the young. The reproductive interval is from 1 to 2 months.