Common Woodpigeon vs Red-moustached Fruit-dove

Columba palumbus compared with Ptilinopus mercierii

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Common Woodpigeon Red-moustached Fruit-dove
Scientific Name Columba palumbus Ptilinopus mercierii
Order Columbiformes Columbiformes
Family Columbidae Columbidae
Conservation Status Least Concern Extinct
Length — —
Wingspan 49.3 cm (19.4 in) —
Weight 487.0 g (17.18 oz) —
Diet -- --
Clutch Size 1-3 --
Population Trend — —

Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

Common Woodpigeon only

None

Red-moustached Fruit-dove only

None

Song & Call Comparison

Common Woodpigeon

Song

Soft, gentle cooing call; pure notes with warm quality, now extinct, poorly known historically. Vocalization pattern typical of this species in its native habitat.

Red-moustached Fruit-dove

Conservation Status

Least Concern

Common Woodpigeon

Extinct

Red-moustached Fruit-dove

How to Tell Them Apart

Common Woodpigeon

Plumage

Common Woodpigeon: blue-gray; white wing patches; white neck patch; pink breast; green neck gloss; common European woodland pigeon

Red-moustached Fruit-dove

About These Birds

Common Woodpigeon

Common Woodpigeon (Columba palumbus) — 40–42 cm; wingspan 75–80 cm. Large; blue-grey; distinctive white neck patch and white wing crescents in flight; pinkish breast; yellow eye. The most abundant pigeon across Europe and western Asia; inhabits woodland, farmland, and urban areas. Granivore and herbivore; crop pest. Partially migratory.

Red-moustached Fruit-dove

Red-moustached Fruit-dove (Ptilinopus mercierii), 27 cm. Green with a red moustachial streak and orange underparts; endemic to the Marquesas Islands. Last confirmed on Nuku Hiva and Hiva Oa. Possibly Extinct; last reliably recorded in the 1970s. Threatened by introduced rats and cats.

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