Woodpigeon

Irish Name: Colm coille
Scientific name: Columba palumbus
Bird Family: Pigeons & Doves
green
Conservation status

Status

Resident, with birds joined by large numbers of immigrants from Britain and the continent in the winter. One of Ireland's top 20 most widespread garden birds.

Identification

The largest of the pigeons in Ireland with a proportionally long tail and small head. A full breast. Easily identified in flight by large white wing bands traversing the upper wing. White and green patches on the side of the neck. In the breeding season they are conspicuous in upward-soaring display flights which end in wing clapping.

Voice

Clattering wing noise on take off. The song consists of a hollow three noted cooing - "whooo who huhu".

Diet

Mainly plant material, green leaves, seeds, berries, buds, flowers and root crops.

Breeding

A widespread breeder, found throughout Ireland, only in the higher hills and mountains are they absent. Originally a woodland bird, it is also found in parks and gardens, even in town centres where they have become quite tame. A very adaptable bird, it has been recorded breeding in heather and stunted bushes in the windswept west of the country.

Wintering

The Irish population is boosted by wintering birds from Continental Europe. Flocks of several hundred to a thousand may gather in good feeding areas.

Blog posts about this bird

BoCCI

From early birds to late bloomers: exploring the nesting patterns of birds

Every March 1st, reminders of the annual hedge-cutting ban are disseminated and rolling in behind them are jokes and comments alluding to birds and their strict schedules.  Of course, birds don’t maintain annual calendars like you or I. If they did, things would be much more clear-cut! However, their behaviour including nesting and migration is tied to seasonal shifts. The rising temperatures and longer hours of daylight ushered in by spring prompt the beginning of nesting season for wild birds. The hedge-cutting ban is in place to prevent the destruction or disturbance of their nesting sites. 

blackbird-amongst-leaf-litter

Blackbird. Photo: Jerry Cassidy.

Springing into nesting season 

At present, the cut-off point for hedge-cutting is informed by the best available data. With the subject understudied here in Ireland, much of what we know about nesting is derived from UK data, specifically, the British Trust for Ornithology’s Nest Record Scheme (NRS)  Based on the information we have, March 1st is considered an appropriate time to stop hedge-cutting for most nesting birds. However, in reality, it is likely that the nesting season begins much earlier in Ireland than in the UK owing to our milder climate. We also know that some birds nest earlier in the season. Data from the BTO Nest Record Scheme shows that some species such as Blackbird and Robin can nest much earlier than March 1st, with records of both species nesting in January (or even December) becoming annual.   As the ongoing climate crisis drives global temperatures up, it is possible that “early nesting” will become the norm, rather than the exception. Indeed, a US study published in the Journal of Animal Ecology showed that one-third of 72 bird species studied are now nesting significantly earlier than they did historically. These species, which include Blue Jays and Field Sparrows, are now laying their eggs on average 25 days earlier than 100 years ago. 

A-Robin-perched-on-a-branch-looking-left

Robin. Photo: Brian Burke

Late-nesting birds 

While August 31 currently marks the end of the ban on hedge-cutting, that is not to say that all chicks will have fledged by this date. Once again, things are a bit more complicated than that.  Initiated in 2017, BirdWatch Ireland’s Late-nesting Bird Project collected information about Yellowhammer and other bird species such as Goldfinch, Greenfinch and Blackbird that may be nesting in hedgerows in August and September.   A large pool of recorders in 20 counties were asked to note breeding evidence of hedgerow nesting birds in August and September. In order to avoid disturbance, they were asked to note breeding evidence as opposed to actively searching for nests. Breeding evidence includes a singing male, a bird carrying nest material, an adult carrying a fecal sac or food, agitated behaviour, and more.  The results showed that Yellowhammer in particular nests well into August and September. The Yellowhammer is a Red-listed species of Conservation Concern, meaning that it is at the highest level of conservation concern and in danger of extinction. Failure to acknowledge and protect late-nesting species by adhering to the current legislation could lead to the quiet chipping away of what remains of this wonderful species.    Yellowhammer were not the only species shown to nest into the autumn months. The next most regularly recorded species during August and September were Goldfinch (19), Greenfinch (16), Woodpigeon (10) and Blackbird (9).   Once again, we must not lose sight of the impact of climate change. As temperatures increase, it is possible that more birds will nest late into the year.  

yellowhammer-with-insect-food-in-beak

Yellowhammer. Photo: Colum Clarke.

Calls for change 

In recent weeks, there have been calls to extend the hedge-cutting season to allow for the cutting of hedgerows into March following a period of poor weather that rendered it challenging.   However, until we have robust additional data on nesting birds in Ireland, we would strongly advise against making any large changes. Until knowledge gaps are filled, a cautionary approach is vital.  Ireland’s birds are already in dire straits, with 63% being of serious conservation concern. We cannot afford to be reckless. Once we lose species, it is very difficult to turn back the clock.   
Garden Birds

'Last Christmas' - Birds in Irish Gardens last winter

There's still time to take part in the Irish Garden Bird Survey!! See here for more details. 

  If you’re a BirdWatch Ireland member you’ll have already read the results of last year’s survey in your winter edition of Wings magazine. If you’re not a member, please join and support our work! But you can catch up on last year’s Irish Garden Bird Survey results with the overview below. If this is your first year to take part in the survey, don’t worry about knowing every single species that might appear in your garden – just familiarise yourself with the most common ones to start off. If you’re a survey veteran, then see how your garden bird list compares to the national average!    

Over 90% of Irish Gardens

The species at the top of the list didn’t change much from previous years. Robin, as per usual, was on top, followed by Blackbird and Blue Tit. Great Tit and Magpie moved up a place each into 4th and 5th, thanks to a fall in the numbers of Chaffinch reported. Robins can still be territorial in the winter, so are pretty evenly spread across the country, while our Blackbird population is topped up by hundreds of thousands of migrants from Scandinavia in the winter, hence their high-ranking each year. Blue Tits and Great Tits are pretty ubiquitous too, and Magpies are very effective at exploiting both urban and rural habitats.  

 

80-90% of Irish Gardens

Chaffinch and Goldfinch fell two and three places to 6th and 10th respectively, since the previous winter, and those declines were greatest in urban and suburban gardens rather than rural ones. On the back of a great breeding season, Coal Tit moved up three places to 7th place. House Sparrows kept 8th position, and Starling made it into the top 10 garden birds for the first time in a decade!  

 

50-80% of Irish Gardens

Wren dropped two places to 11th, while species such as Dunnock (12th), Rook (16th), Collared Dove (17th) all stayed in the same position as the previous winter. When a winter is pretty mild (the occasional storm excluded) we tend to see this stability in the rankings across many species. There was some slight movement for Woodpigeon (14th), Jackdaw (15th) and Hooded Crow (19th), all of which fell one place. The mild weather tends to mean these species aren’t forced to retreat to gardens for food as much as in other winters. Song Thrush increased by around 2% and jumped to places in the rankings to 13th. Pied Wagtail rose up two places to 18th and occurred in >7% more gardens than they did on average over the preceding five year period. Despite being very common in towns, cities and shopping centre carparks, they’re actually seen in twice as many rural gardens as urban or suburban ones. Greenfinch continue to suffer the devastating effects of trichomoniasis (make sure to clean your feeders regularly!) and reached a new low for the species in the survey – 20th place.   Pied Wagtail

 

20-50% of Irish Gardens

While the above species occur in more than 50% of gardens, you’re in the minority if one of the below appears in your garden this winter: Siskin jumped up 7 places (8%) since the previous year. They usually start to appear in gardens from mid-January onwards, but they were making appearances from late November right through to March in most parts of the country last winter. No other species made such a big jump pup the table! One of the bigger losers was Goldcrest - down 5 places to 29th, a decrease of nearly 8%. It was a mild winter, and a good breeding season for most species in 2020, so the reason for this isn’t immediately obvious. Bullfinch dropped three places to 24th, but this might just be due to the mild winter and abundance of feeding options in the wider countryside, as they’re not a bird that visits feeders and so aren’t as associated with gardens as other finches. Other species in the 20-50% band include Blackcap, Long-tailed Tit, Sparrowhawk, Mistle Thrush and Feral Pigeon. Again, not species that tend to avail of bird feeders with any regularity, but species who know how to make a good living in a human-dominated landscape, be it rural, urban or suburban.  

bullfinch-in-shrub-munching-on-berries

buzzard-sitting-in-field

Best of the rest

Despite being a non-native species, Pheasants tend to be seen in 15-20% of gardens each year, which is surprisingly high considering they don’t tend to breed well in the wild, so are reliant on being released by gun clubs every autumn. Buzzards moved two places up the rankings and are seen over 15% of gardens each winter. Herring Gulls were in 11% of gardens, Black-headed Gulls in 4%, and 1.3% of gardens had some sort of gull visiting but weren’t sure what species! Great Spotted Woodpeckers are one of the most recent additions to our bird community, and over 4% of gardens had one visiting their peanut feeders (it’s always peanut feeders!) last winter. They’re now breeding in almost every county in Ireland, so expect to see them charging up the rankings table in the coming years. Last year was a mast year for acorns, which meant Oak trees were providing a huge bounty for species such as Jays, and as a result they were seen in fewer gardens than usual (8%, down 1% from the average). This tends to happen every few years. Lastly, Redwing and Fieldfare, our two wintering thrush species, both dropped a bit, thanks again to the mild winter.   jay-drinking-from-hollow-tree-trunk     See below for the full Top 30 birds in Irish gardens last winter, and their various ups and downs since the previous year. Most gardens record between 10 and 25 species over the course of a winter. Whether you have more or less than that, we still need you do to the survey!  
   

We are hugely grateful to Ballymaloe  for their sponsorship and support of the Irish Garden Bird Survey.

For more details about the Irish Garden Bird Survey click here, or download the survey form below.

 

Similar Species

Rock Dove

Irish Name:
Colm aille
Scientific name:
Columba livia
Bird Family:
Pigeons & Doves

Stock Dove

Irish Name:
Colm gorm
Scientific name:
Columba oenas
Bird Family:
Pigeons & Doves