Stock Dove

Stock Dove

Columba oenas

Silhouette: Bengt Nyman · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Manchester

In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%

1,150 Verified sightings at Manchester
1,604 In all 14 parks From 2019 to 2026
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Stock Dove

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 →

Sounds

Call0:44

Poland · 2025

© Romuald Mikusek · XC1092367 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:59

Poland · 2024

© Jarek Matusiak · XC961402 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Begging call1:30

United Kingdom · 2022

© Simon Elliott · XC747099 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
2 Białowieża National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~10%
3 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~10%
4 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~10%
5 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
6 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
<5%
7 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%
8 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
<5%
9 Hortobágy National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
<5%
10 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
<5%
11 Monfragüe National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
12 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%
13 Camargue 🇫🇷 France
<5%
14 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 London 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~30%
2 Liverpool 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~30%
3 Madrid 🇪🇸 Spain
~30%
4 Birmingham 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~20%
5 Leeds 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~20%
6 Paris 🇫🇷 France
~20%
7 Lyon 🇫🇷 France
~20%
8 Manchester 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~20%
9 Helsinki 🇫🇮 Finland
~20%
10 Brussels 🇧🇪 Belgium
~20%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Prague Zoo 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
2 Natura Artis Magistra 🇳🇱 Netherlands In captivity
3 Kyiv Zoo 🇺🇦 Ukraine In captivity
4 Rákosův pavilon 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
5 Velemlokárium 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Stock Dove in Manchester?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Stock Dove sighting in Manchester on a given day, based on 1,150 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 52nd most-seen of the 167 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Stock Dove in Manchester?

December to September

In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Stock Dove in Manchester on a given day, against about 10% in October and November, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Stock Dove?

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.

Is Manchester the best place to see a Stock Dove?

8th of 30

Of the 30 cities where we can rate Stock Dove sightings, Manchester ranks 8th at about 20%. The best odds are in London (United Kingdom, about 30%), Liverpool (United Kingdom, about 30%) and Madrid (Spain, about 30%).

Which relatives of the Stock Dove live in Manchester?

Same genus: Columba

The closest relatives of the Stock Dove that you can see in Manchester (genus Columba, Typical Old World Pigeons) are Wood Pigeon (about 90%) and Rock Pigeon (about 70%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Stock Dove sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Stock Dove is recorded against all the birds logged in Manchester (1,150 verified sightings), 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.

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