Focused and Facts. July 2020
Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus) Greedy feckers. There's a around 10 of em visit my garden, usually 4-5 at a time, the neighbours must think I've took up Pigeon Racing.
Wood Pigeon Eyes ????? They seem to have an irregular shape to the pupil of the eye. Is it known if there is a beneficial or other reason for this?
Hein van Grouw, Senior Curator, Bird Group at the Natural History Museum says,
"Wood pigeons seem to have non-circular pupils. The pupil, however is circular but due to a spot of dark pigment in the iris the pupil seems to be non-circular. I have no idea what the reason (advantage) is for this. What I do know is that several other (tropical) species, mainly Fruit Doves, have it too."
A pigeon's field of vision is even greater than a horse's, nearly 360 degrees, with a very narrow binocular portion in front. It processes what it sees faster than we can. Like horses, pigeons are very sensitive to any movement.
So though it might seem like birds with eyes on the side of their heads can’t see where they are going, they can see forward and sideways at the same time, and in fact can see much more than those with eyes facing forwards.
What is most familiar with the pigeon, though, is its cooing sound, which is somewhat distinct from other birds in the garden. In fact, there are just five notes in total, and they go like this: “ru-hoo ru ru-hoo.” Try counting the sounds next time you hear a Wood pigeon in your garden.
Another interesting feature about Wood pigeons is their size. They often come across as slightly overweight, and one consequence of their size is the manner in which they walk. It isn’t straight, but a waddle, which gives the impression that they possess over-sized bottoms. This isn’t the case, of course, and it is a fact that the total weight of all the feathers combined is greater in weight than the entire skeleton.
Wood pigeons prefer the privacy of wooded areas for nesting and producing young. Never do female Wood pigeons lay more than two eggs per clutch, although should those eggs be destroyed, eaten or stolen, further clutches will be produced within a season, allowing successive generations to continue the family line.
The nest itself is built by both mother and father, and is a co-ordinated mass of twigs located in either a tree or high up on a building. The eggs are incredibly smooth, glossy white and have a width and length of 30mm x 41mm.
SONY RX10 IV. f4. 1/200 sec. 220 mm.
Focused and Facts. July 2020
Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus) Greedy feckers. There's a around 10 of em visit my garden, usually 4-5 at a time, the neighbours must think I've took up Pigeon Racing.
Wood Pigeon Eyes ????? They seem to have an irregular shape to the pupil of the eye. Is it known if there is a beneficial or other reason for this?
Hein van Grouw, Senior Curator, Bird Group at the Natural History Museum says,
"Wood pigeons seem to have non-circular pupils. The pupil, however is circular but due to a spot of dark pigment in the iris the pupil seems to be non-circular. I have no idea what the reason (advantage) is for this. What I do know is that several other (tropical) species, mainly Fruit Doves, have it too."
A pigeon's field of vision is even greater than a horse's, nearly 360 degrees, with a very narrow binocular portion in front. It processes what it sees faster than we can. Like horses, pigeons are very sensitive to any movement.
So though it might seem like birds with eyes on the side of their heads can’t see where they are going, they can see forward and sideways at the same time, and in fact can see much more than those with eyes facing forwards.
What is most familiar with the pigeon, though, is its cooing sound, which is somewhat distinct from other birds in the garden. In fact, there are just five notes in total, and they go like this: “ru-hoo ru ru-hoo.” Try counting the sounds next time you hear a Wood pigeon in your garden.
Another interesting feature about Wood pigeons is their size. They often come across as slightly overweight, and one consequence of their size is the manner in which they walk. It isn’t straight, but a waddle, which gives the impression that they possess over-sized bottoms. This isn’t the case, of course, and it is a fact that the total weight of all the feathers combined is greater in weight than the entire skeleton.
Wood pigeons prefer the privacy of wooded areas for nesting and producing young. Never do female Wood pigeons lay more than two eggs per clutch, although should those eggs be destroyed, eaten or stolen, further clutches will be produced within a season, allowing successive generations to continue the family line.
The nest itself is built by both mother and father, and is a co-ordinated mass of twigs located in either a tree or high up on a building. The eggs are incredibly smooth, glossy white and have a width and length of 30mm x 41mm.
SONY RX10 IV. f4. 1/200 sec. 220 mm.