Columba oenas
Silhouette: Bengt Nyman · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
The stock dove (Columba oenas) is a species of bird in the family Columbidae, the doves and pigeons. It is widely distributed in the western Palearctic, north to central Scandinavia and south to northwest Africa. Western and southern populations are resident, while northeastern populations are migratory to avoid the colder winters there. It is the type species of the genus Columba.
The stock dove was first formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae. He placed it with all the other pigeons in the genus Columba and coined the binomial name Columba oenas. The specific name oenas is from the Ancient Greek οἰνάς oinás meaning "pigeon".
Two subspecies are recognised: The stock dove is 28–34 cm (11–13 in) long, with a wingspan of 60–66 cm (24–26 in) and a weight of 303–365 g in males, 286–290 g in females. The plumage is a blue-toned... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 3 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 4 | Kiskunság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 5 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 6 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 7 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 8 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 9 | Hortobágy National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 10 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 11 | Monfragüe National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 12 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 13 | Camargue | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 14 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Madrid | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 4 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 5 | Leeds | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 6 | Paris | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 7 | Lyon | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 8 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 9 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 10 | Brussels | 🇧🇪 Belgium |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prague Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 2 | Natura Artis Magistra | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 3 | Kyiv Zoo | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 4 | Rákosův pavilon | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 5 | Velemlokárium | 🇨🇿 Czechia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Stock Dove sighting in Bavarian Forest National Park on a given day, based on 44 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 94th most-seen of the 170 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March, May and July–August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Stock Dove in Bavarian Forest National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April, June and September–February, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Stock Dove sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 14 parks where we can rate Stock Dove sightings, Bavarian Forest National Park ranks 5th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Wadden Sea National Park (Germany, about 10%), Białowieża National Park (Poland, about 10%) and Fertő-Hanság National Park (Hungary, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Stock Dove is recorded against all the birds logged in Bavarian Forest National Park (44 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
