It's no secret that here at Rebel Romance we LOVE our pigeon pals. We've even got a whole pigeon collection here!
Our latest favourite is our collaboration with Katie Abey, we created the glorious Pigeon Party Dungarees...
Pigeon Party Flared Pinafores...
Pigeon Party Long Cardigans...
Pigeon Cropped Jumpers...
Pigeon Party Cardigans...
But enough about us! Let's get back to our main focus, the different types of pigeons you can find around the UK.
1. Woodpigeon
The largest pigeon boi in the UK and the most common.
This chonk of a pigeon has a flexible diet, feeding mostly on plants.
They're mostly noticeable for not only for being a round floof but for their white patches on their neck and yellow eyes.
2. Feral Pigeon
This has got to be the most heartbreaking story of why these can be found in the UK. After years of being selectively bred, trained, used for work, entertainment AND saving lives during the war, they are descendants of abandoned pets.
They can be found mostly roaming the streets of most cities and towns, and come in a range of glorious colour variations. The classic colouration being grey with an almost iridescent purple and teal neck feathers, with striking orangey red eyes.
These feral babies have a scavenger diet, meaning they will hoover up most crumbs or food left behind in busy cities.
We have a range of adorable feral pigeon gifts such as (one of our personal faves) the Squishable Pigeon Plush Toy. Sitting at approx 40cm tall, they're the perfect cuddle buddy!
3. Eurasian Collared Dove, aka Collared Dove
This fancy looking dove is a similar size to feral pigeons but is slimmer in width. They are easily identifiable by their distinct 'collar' of black feathers round their neck and dark eyes.
These guys do not like to travel in migration but they are highly dispersive! They are one of the highest populating birds, travelling way further than were they originally were from. They started out in subtropical Asia from Turkey east to southern China and south through India to Sri Lanka. Since then they've arrived in Bulgaria, travelled across Europe into parts of the Balkans, Germany, UK, Ireland, the Faroe Islands, then onto Norway, east to the Ural Mountains in Russia, southwest to the Canary Islands, going to Morocco, Egypt, northern China, Japan, and even Iceland!
They're very well travelled. 🐦🧳
4. Stock Dove
These doves used to be the most common pigeon you could find before deforestation. As they nest in tree holes, deforestation has made a huge impact on their population, forcing them to find alternatives such as rabbit burrows, ruins, old hedges, cracks in crags or cliff faces, in ivy, and in the thick growth around trees. It will also use nest boxes.
Their name is often confused with the 21st century meaning of stock, however their name originates from the Old English stocc' which meant "stump, post, stake, tree trunk, log". This means their name "stock dove" more likely translates to "a dove which lives in hollow trees".
5. Turtle Dove
The European turtle dove is unfortunately a threatened species of dove, due to changes of the world. The most likely threats are habitat loss/modification, droughts and climate change, hunting, and competition with the collared dove.
These beautiful birds have a lot of history with culture, being a sacred bird in Roman mythology, emblems in Biblical texts, a devoted partner in Renaissance Europe and even part of a William Shakespeare poem!
We hope you enjoyed learning about the native Pigeons and Doves of the UK! Don't forget to show your local wildlife some love when you can next.
And if you want to show you're a fellow pigeon enthusiast too, don't forget to check out our pigeon collection! 🖤
