wood pigeon

noun

1. Also called ringdove. a European pigeon, Columba palumbus, having a whitish patch on each side of the neck.
2. band-tailed pigeon.

wood pigeon

noun

1. a large Eurasian pigeon, Columba palumbus, having white patches on the wings and neck Also calledringdovecushat

Word History and Origins

Origin of wood pigeon¹

First recorded in 1660–70

Example Sentences

In Bad News, one of the Patrick Melrose novels, he describes the effects of heroin as “soft and rich as the throat of a wood pigeon, or the splash of sealing wax onto a page, or a handful of gems slipping from palm to palm.”

From Slate

Cluny had left the better part of a wood pigeon, some cheese, and there was still a handsome measure of the best St. Ninian barley wine in the Chief’s canteen.

From Literature

Previous winners include the kereru, a type of wood pigeon, in 2018 and the kea, a species of large parrot, in 2017.

From BBC

In 2017, he tweeted: “To all you NG fanboys, I can and will sing any song he wrote bigger, better than him, even if I was kicked in the bollox by a wood pigeon.”

From The Guardian

The winner of this year’s poll is the kererū, a wood pigeon with a taste for fermented fruit, known for getting tipsy and toppling out of trees.

From The Guardian