The most recent wood pigeon arrival on Madeira was that which gave rise to the subspecies C. palumbus maderensis and Azores Wood Pigeon C. palumbus azorensis.

* Azores laurel, Laurus azorica

* Bellis azorica ( Azores Daisy )

** Hedera azorica Carrière – Azores ivy.

* Daboecia azorica from the Azores.

Fossils dating from before the Pleistocene glaciations show that species of Laurus were formerly distributed more widely around the Mediterranean and North Africa, isolated gave rise to Laurus azorica in Azores Islands, Laurus nobilis in mainland and Laurus novocanariensis in Canary Islands.

The fairly numerous population of the Cape Verde islands, belong to a separate race, C. c. inopinata, ( described by Hartert in 1917 ), while those on the Azores belong to race C. c. conturbans ( Hartert, 1917 ).

Thus in 1857 he went to Peru in order to determine the magnetic equator ; in 1861 – 1862 and 1864, he studied telluric absorption in the solar spectrum in Italy and Switzerland ; in 1867 he carried out optical and magnetic experiments at the Azores ; he successfully observed both transits of Venus, that of 1874 in Japan, that of 1882 at Oran in Algeria ; and he took part in a long series of solar eclipse-expeditions, e. g. to Trani ( 1867 ), Guntur ( 1868 ), Algiers ( 1870 ), Siam ( 1875 ), the Caroline Islands ( 1883 ), and to Alcosebre in Spain ( 1905 ).

Other notable works by Grousset published under the Laurie pseudonym include De New York à Brest en Sept Heures York to Brest In Seven Hours ( 1888 ), which predicted a transatlantic tunnel ; Le Secret du Mage Secret Of The Magician ( 1890 ), in which evidence of an advanced prehistoric is discovered ; Le Rubis du Grand Lama Ruby Of The Great Lama ( 1894 ), which features a steam-powered flying island ; Atlantis ( 1895 ), which describes how the mythical kingdom has survived under a glass dome at the bottom of the sea near the Azores ; Le Maître de l ' Abîme Master Of The Abyss ( 1905 ), which features a revolutionary submarine, and finally Spiridon le Muet The Mute ( 1907 ), a remarkable novel about a human-sized, intelligent ant.

In Europe the Wood Pigeon is commonly shot as a game bird, while Rock Pigeons were originally domesticated as a food species, and many breeds were developed for their meat-bearing qualities.

A bird table, with a Common Wood Pigeon | Wood Pigeon on the roof, in an English garden.

In its flight, behaviour, and voice, which is more of a dovecot coo than the phrase of the Wood Pigeon, it is a typical pigeon.

The Wood Pigeon may be readily distinguished by the white on its neck ( in adults ) and wings.

The short, deep, " grunting " Ooo-uu-ooh call is quite distinct from the modulated cooing notes of the Wood Pigeon ; it is loud enough to be described, somewhat fancifully, as " roaring ".

The nuptial flight, high and circling, is like that of the Common Wood Pigeon, but the undulations are less decided ; it is accompanied by the whip-crack of the downward flicked wings.

* Columba palumbus Common Wood Pigeon

* Columba hodgsonii Speckled Wood Pigeon

* Columba pulchricollis Ashy Wood Pigeon

* Columba elphinstonii Nilgiri Wood Pigeon

* Columba torringtoni Ceylon Wood Pigeon

* Columba argentina Silvery Wood Pigeon

* Columba palumboides Andaman Wood Pigeon

* Columba janthina Japanese Wood Pigeon

* Columba versicolor Bonin Wood Pigeon

In the UK, only the larger and more wary Common Wood Pigeon, which often shares the same territory and food supply, will build nests in trees, usually close to roads.

Their music has been used on the soundtracks of films including Deep End, Dead Pigeon on Beethoven Street, Morvern Callar, Norwegian Wood, and Los Abrazos Rotos.

Larger birds such as Common Wood Pigeon s are more often killed by the larger female Eurasian Sparrowhawks ; males usually hunt smaller prey.

A new nest is built every year, generally close to the nest of the previous year, and sometimes using an old Wood Pigeon ( A. n. melaschistos frequently uses the old nests of Jungle Crows ) nest as a base ; the male does most of the work.

The Common Wood Pigeon ( Columba palumbus ) is a large species in the dove and pigeon family.

In the colder northern and eastern parts of its Europe and western Asia range the Common Wood Pigeon is a migrant, but in southern and western Europe it is a well distributed and often abundant resident.

The three Western European Columba pigeons, Common Wood Pigeon, Stock Dove, and Rock Pigeon, though superficially alike, have very distinctive characteristics ; the Common Wood Pigeon may be identified at once by its larger size at and, and the white on its neck and wing.

* Asian Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus casiotis ( Bonaparte, 1854 )

* North African Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus excelsa ( Bonaparte, 1856 )

* Iranian Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus iranica ( Zarudny, 1910 )

* Madeiran Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus maderensis Tschusi, 1904 †

* 525 Andaman Wood Pigeon ( Columba palumboides )

* Common Wood Pigeon or Wood Pigeon, Columba palumbus

** Madeiran Wood Pigeon, Columba palumbus maderensis – extinct ( early 20th century )

* Speckled Wood Pigeon, Columba hodgsonii

* Ashy Wood Pigeon, Columba pulchricollis

* Nilgiri Wood Pigeon, Columba elphinstonii

* Sri Lanka Wood Pigeon, Columba torringtoni