Columba palumbus
Columba palumbus
The common wood pigeon is a ubiquitous species distributed throughout the western Palearctic, extending from the Mediterranean Sea to Central Asia (BirdLife International, 2024). It occupies almost all of Europe, being absent only from boreal and northern areas (Keller et al., 202). In Spain, it is abundant throughout the territory, except for the Canary Islands (Fernández-García in SEO/BirdLife, 2022). It occupies all types of habitats, altitudinal ranges, and biogeographical zones.
In Madrid, it is also distributed across the entire territory in all types of habitats, except for high mountains, deforested southern areas, and some urban zones. It prefers holm oak forests, ash groves, and pine forests, although it can also be seen in broom scrublands and riparian woods. It is abundant in urban parks and gardens (Díaz et al., 1994).
In the national park, it is an abundant species, present in low-altitude and foothill wooded areas, but it avoids higher-elevation pine forests and concentrates mainly on slopes and areas near open spaces and watercourses. It is abundant in the mixed forests of the Manzanares Valley, west of the La Pedriza rock massif. Other high-density areas occur on the slopes of Peña del Águila in forested areas with clearings, and in the Lozoya Valley where there are significant oak stands.
It is a species typical of both deciduous and coniferous forest environments, also occupying plantations, and has ultimately adapted to all types of agricultural landscapes as long as there is some tree cover to establish nests (Rouxel and Czajkowski, 2004; Belda et al., 2013; Purroy and Purroy, 2016). However, the most remarkable adaptation is to urban and peri-urban environments, where the highest densities of the species are currently recorded among all habitat types. Over the past two decades, there has been a progressive colonization of new Spanish cities and a subsequent densification of these populations.
The highest densities of common wood pigeons in the national park occur in low-altitude areas with mixed forests and riparian groves.
At the global scale, it is considered in the Least Concern category (LC; 2018). In Europe, it would also be classified in the same category (LC; 2021). In Spain, it is considered in the Least Concern category in the 2021 Red List.
The Catalogue of Threatened Species of the Community of Madrid (1992) does not consider the species in any threat category.
Belda, A., Peiró, V., Seva, E., Martín, J. y Martínez-Pérez, J. E. 2013. Ecological gradients and landscape structure affecting seasonal Woodpigeon Columba palumbus densities in a coastal region (South-east Spain). Revue Écologie (Terre Vie), 68: 181-192.
BirdLife International 2024. IUCN Red List for birds. https://datazone.birdlife.org.
Díaz, M., Martí, R., Gómez-Manzaneque, Á. y Sánchez, A. 1994. Atlas de las aves nidificantes en Madrid. Agencia de Medio Ambiente y SEO/BirdLife. Madrid.
Keller, V., Herrando, S., Voříšek, P., Franch, M., Kipson, M., Milanesi, P., Martí, D., Antón, M., Klvaňová, A., Kalyakin, M. V. Bauer, H. Gr y Foppen, R. P. B. 2020. European Breeding Bird Atlas 2: Distribution, Abundance and Change. European Birds Census Council y Lynx Edicions. Barcelona.
Purroy, J. y Purroy, F. J. 2016. Paloma torcaz Columba palumbus. En, Salvador, A. y Morales, M. B. (eds.): Enciclopedia virtual de los vertebrados españoles. Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales. Madrid.
Rouxel, R. y Czajkowski, A. 2004. Le pigeon ramier Columba palumbus L. Société de Presse Adour-Pyrénées. Lourdes.
SEO/BirdLife (Molina, B., Nebreda, A., Muñoz, A. R., Seoane, J., Real, R., Bustamante, J. y Del Moral, J. C., eds.) 2022. III Atlas de las aves en época de reproducción en España. SEO/BirdLife. Madrid.