Speckled Pigeon

Speckled Pigeon

Columba guinea

Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Kibale National Park

In 3 days <5%

5 Verified sightings at Kibale National Park From 2019 to 2026
9,428 In all 44 parks
March Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Speckled Pigeon

The speckled pigeon (Columba guinea), also known as the African rock pigeon or Guinea pigeon, is a pigeon that is a resident breeding bird in much of Africa south of the Sahara. It is a common and widespread species in open habitats over much of its range, although there are sizable gaps in its distribution.

In 1747 the English naturalist George Edwards included a description and an illustration of the speckled pigeon in the second volume of his A Natural History of Uncommon Birds. His hand-coloured etching was made from two live birds at the home of the Duke of Richmond in London. Edwards was told that the pigeons had been brought from the inland region of Guinea in West Africa. When in 1758 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the tenth edition, he placed the speckled pigeon with all the other pigeons in the genus Columba. Linnaeus included a brief description, coined the binomial name Columba guinea and cited Edwards' work.

Despite the marked differences in plumage from the rock dove C. livia, speckled pigeon is closely related to it, and in captivity will hybridise with it; the hybrid males (but not the first-generation hybrid females... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song0:26

Kenya · 2024

© Peter Boesman · XC948115 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Call0:37

South Africa · 2020

© Tony Archer · XC529796 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song1:23

Gambia · 2021

© Joost van Bruggen · XC690783 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Niokolo-Koba National Park 🇸🇳 Senegal
~50%
2 Bale Mountains National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
~50%
3 Golden Gate Highlands National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~50%
4 Awash National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
~40%
5 West Coast National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~40%
6 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~40%
7 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~40%
8 Namib-Naukluft National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~40%
9 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~30%
10 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~30%
11 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~30%
12 De Hoop Nature Reserve 🇿🇦 South Africa
~30%
13 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~30%
14 Kidepo Valley National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~30%
15 Samburu National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
16 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
17 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
18 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
19 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
20 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
21 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
22 Waterberg Plateau Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~20%
23 Meru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
24 Volcanoes National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~10%
25 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
26 Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
27 Lake Manyara National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
28 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
29 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
30 Mkomazi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
31 Arusha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
32 Etosha National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
<5%
33 Hwange National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
<5%
34 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
35 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
<5%
36 Aberdare National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
37 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
38 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
<5%
39 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
40 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
41 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
42 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
43 Nyungwe National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
<5%
44 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Maiduguri 🇳🇬 Nigeria
~80%
2 Abuja 🇳🇬 Nigeria
~70%
3 Serrekunda 🇬🇲 Gambia
~70%
4 N'Djamena 🇹🇩 Chad
~60%
5 Lagos 🇳🇬 Nigeria
~40%
6 Addis Ababa 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
~40%
7 Dakar 🇸🇳 Senegal
~40%
8 Cape Town 🇿🇦 South Africa
~40%
9 Cotonou 🇧🇯 Benin
~30%
10 Johannesburg 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Réserve africaine de Sigean 🇫🇷 France In captivity
2 Parc des oiseaux 🇫🇷 France In captivity
3 Zoo de Doué 🇫🇷 France In captivity
4 Al Ain Zoo 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates In captivity
5 Toronto Zoo 🇨🇦 Canada In captivity
6 Columbus Zoo and Aquarium 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
7 Oakland Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
8 Louisville Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
9 Kyiv Zoo 🇺🇦 Ukraine In captivity
10 Caldwell Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
11 Woodland Park Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
12 Parc zoologique et forestier Michel-Corbasson 🇫🇷 France In captivity
13 Moody Gardens 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
14 Night Safari 🇸🇬 Singapore In captivity
15 Twycross Zoo 🇬🇧 United Kingdom In captivity
16 Catoctin Wildlife Preserve and Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
17 Oregon Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
18 Lisbon Zoo 🇵🇹 Portugal In captivity
19 Singapore Zoo 🇸🇬 Singapore In captivity
20 San Antonio Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
21 Zoo Atlanta 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
22 Bird Paradise 🇸🇬 Singapore In captivity
23 Център за защита на природата и животните 🇧🇬 Bulgaria In captivity
24 Plock Zoo 🇵🇱 Poland In captivity
25 Rainforest Wild Asia 🇸🇬 Singapore In captivity
26 Welsh Mountain Zoo 🇬🇧 United Kingdom In captivity
27 Birdworld 🇬🇧 United Kingdom In captivity
28 La Ferme aux crocodiles 🇫🇷 France In captivity
29 Vogelpark Avifauna 🇳🇱 Netherlands In captivity
30 Paphos Zoo 🇨🇾 Cyprus In captivity
31 Monkeyland 🇿🇦 South Africa In captivity
32 River Wonders 🇸🇬 Singapore In captivity
33 Elephant Sanctuary, The Crags, Plettenberg Bay 🇿🇦 South Africa In captivity
34 Happy Hollow Park & Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
35 Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes 🇫🇷 France In captivity
36 UMA "El Palapo" 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity
37 Bird Park Steinen 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
38 Alameda Park Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
39 World of Birds Wildlife Sanctuary and Monkey Park 🇿🇦 South Africa In captivity
40 Zoo Koki (Parque zoológico y botánico) 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
41 Zoo Lagos 🇵🇹 Portugal In captivity
42 Kecskeméti Vadaskert 🇭🇺 Hungary In captivity
43 Birds of Eden 🇿🇦 South Africa In captivity
44 Mississippi Aquarium 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
45 Zoo de Lourosa 🇵🇹 Portugal In captivity
46 Golders Hill Park Zoo 🇬🇧 United Kingdom In captivity
47 Aviary 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China In captivity
48 Bird Kingdom 🇨🇦 Canada In captivity
49 Dobrich Zoo 🇧🇬 Bulgaria In captivity
50 Exotic Animal World 🇿🇦 South Africa In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Speckled Pigeon in Kibale National Park?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Speckled Pigeon sighting in Kibale National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 356th most-seen of the 366 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Speckled Pigeon in Kibale National Park?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Speckled Pigeon in Kibale National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Speckled Pigeon?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Speckled Pigeon sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Where does the Speckled Pigeon sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Speckled Pigeon is recorded against all the birds logged in Kibale National Park (5 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.

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