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wood pigeon

American  

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 British  

noun

  1. Also called: ringdove.   cushat.  a large Eurasian pigeon, Columba palumbus, having white patches on the wings and neck

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of wood pigeon

First recorded in 1660–70

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

They're actually quite small birds, about the size of a wood pigeon, but they look much bigger - they have a wingspan much bigger in comparison to most other birds to their body size.

From BBC Aug. 26, 2026

Some of these are imported, like wild wood pigeon from Scotland.

From New York Times Dec. 13, 2016

Hosts Sabine and Didier Meyer’s other gourmet specialities include beef rib with hot béarnaise sauce, cream of cèpe soup, wild boar, venison, wood pigeon and home-cured ham.

From The Guardian Sep. 1, 2016

The six-course dinners will feature Coromondel oyser, fresh hamachi, wood pigeon, frog legs and more.

From Los Angeles Times Oct. 2, 2014

A wood pigeon was calling in the elms.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

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