Wider Countryside Report Header
BTO Blueline
Main WCR menu image Site navigation menu item Results overview menu item Other info menu item BTO website menu item
BTO Blueline
WOODPIGEON
Columba palumbus
Woodpigeon © Mike Weston
 

• 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. A trend toward earlier nesting could have led CBC, with its fieldwork finishing in early July, to overestimate the rate of increase (Marchant et al. 1990). Numbers have risen widely in Europe since 1980 (PECBMS 2007).
 

Population changes
CBC/BBS UK graph
 
Table of population changes for Woodpigeon

Source Period
(yrs)		 Years Plots
(n)		 Change
(%)		 Lower
limit		 Upper
limit		 Alert Comment
CBC/BBS UK 39 1967-2006 724 146 22 445    
  25 1981-2006 1105 80 55 119    
  10 1996-2006 2280 27 23 32    
  5 2001-2006 2408 11 8 14    
CBC/BBS England 39 1967-2006 581 168 36 581    
  25 1981-2006 886 97 64 136    
  10 1996-2006 1817 33 29 38    
  5 2001-2006 1907 14 11 17    
BBS UK 11 1995-2006 2144 27 21 33    
  10 1996-2006 2204 26 21 31    
  5 2001-2006 2408 11 8 15    
BBS England 11 1995-2006 1709 34 27 40    
  10 1996-2006 1753 31 26 36    
  5 2001-2006 1907 14 11 18    
BBS Scotland 11 1995-2006 174 -5 -23 18    
  10 1996-2006 177 -3 -19 15    
  5 2001-2006 185 -5 -16 7    
BBS Wales 11 1995-2006 176 31 14 47    
  10 1996-2006 183 28 14 43    
  5 2001-2006 210 17 8 25    
BBS N.Ireland 11 1995-2006 73 64 28 103    
  10 1996-2006 79 49 19 75    
  5 2001-2006 92 8 -2 20    

BBS acknowledgement
 
CBC/BBS England graph
BBS UK graph
BBS England graph
BBS Scotland graph
BBS Wales graph
BBS N Ireland graph
 

Productivity trends
Productivity information is not currently available for this species
 

Additional information
BTO blue divider
 

BTO Home | JNCC Home
 © British Trust for Ornithology. Charity No 216652 (England and Wales).Charity No SC039193 (Scotland)
Company Limited by Guarantee No 357284 (England and Wales).
Registered Office: The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2PU, UK.
Terms and Conditions | Privacy Statement          Email:


This report should be cited as:
Baillie, S.R., Marchant, J.H., Leech, D.I., Joys, A.C., Noble, D.G.,
Barimore, C., Grantham, M.J., Risely, K. & Robinson, R.A. (2009).
Breeding Birds in the Wider Countryside: their conservation status 2008.
BTO Research Report No. 516. BTO, Thetford. (http://www.bto.org/birdtrends)

Pages maintained by Iain Downie, Mandy T Andrews and Laura Smith: Last updated 18.02.2009