BTO - Breeding Birds of the Wider Countryside: Woodpigeon

WOODPIGEON
Columba palumbus

• Population
changes

• Productivity
trends

• Additional
information

Conservation listings

Europe: no SPEC category (concentrated in Europe, conservation status favourable)
UK: green

Long-term trend

UK, England: rapid increase

UK population size

2,570,000–3,160,000 territories in 2000 (1988–91 Atlas estimate updated using CBC/BBS trend: BiE04, APEP06)

Status summary

The CBC/BBS trend for this species is of a steady, steep increase since at least the mid 1970s. The spread of intensive arable cultivation, especially of oilseed rape, which has been shown to promote overwinter survival, may explain the rise in numbers (Gibbons et al. 1993). Since 1994, BBS has recorded significant increase in the UK, and in England, Wales and Northern Ireland separately, but stability in Scotland. O'Connor & Shrubb (1986) found that the breeding season had advanced in response to the switch to autumn sowing, and thus earlier ripening, of cereals, with more pairs nesting in May and June and relatively fewer in July–September. Earlier nesting could have led CBC, with fieldwork finishing in early July, to overestimate the rate of increase (Marchant et al. 1990). Numbers have risen widely in Europe since 1980 (PECBM 2006).

Population changes

Table of population changes for Woodpigeon

Source	Period (yrs)	Years	Plots (n)	Change (%)	Lower limit	Upper limit
CBC/BBS UK	38	1967-2005	663	143	30	428
	25	1980-2005	989	84	56	119
	10	1995-2005	2150	27	23	32
	5	2000-2005	2252	12	9	16
CBC/BBS England	38	1967-2005	532	162	31	485
	25	1980-2005	792	100	58	154
	10	1995-2005	1716	32	27	37
	5	2000-2005	1778	15	10	19
BBS UK	10	1995-2005	2057	26	20	32
	5	2000-2005	2229	13	9	16
BBS England	10	1995-2005	1637	31	24	36
	5	2000-2005	1758	15	12	20
BBS Scotland	10	1995-2005	169	-3	-20	16
	5	2000-2005	170	-2	-16	9
BBS Wales	10	1995-2005	171	29	15	42
	5	2000-2005	201	16	9	24
BBS N.Ireland	10	1995-2005	70	64	28	107
	5	2000-2005	87	13	2	31

Productivity trends

Productivity information is not currently available for this species

Additional information


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This report should be cited as: Baillie, S.R., Marchant, J.H., Crick, H.Q.P., Noble, D.G., Balmer, D.E., Barimore, C., Coombes, R.H., Downie, I.S., Freeman, S.N., Joys, A.C., Leech, D.I., Raven, M.J., Robinson, R.A. & Thewlis, R.M. (2007) Breeding Birds in the Wider Countryside: their conservation status 2007. BTO Research Report No. 487. BTO, Thetford. (http://www.bto.org/birdtrends) Pages maintained by Susan Waghorn and Iain Downie: Last updated 3 January, 2008