Snow Pigeon

Snow Pigeon

Columba leuconota

Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Langtang National Park

In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%

171 Verified sightings at Langtang National Park From 2019 to 2026
176 In all 2 parks
September Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the Snow Pigeon

The snow pigeon (Columba leuconota) is a species of bird in the genus Columba in the family Columbidae from hilly regions of central Asia. The birds forage in open country in pairs or small groups, feeding on grain, buds, shoots, berries and seeds. They roost at night on cliffs, breeding in crevices where they build untidy stick nests and lay a clutch of usually two white eggs. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated the bird's conservation status as being of least concern.

Snow pigeons have a blackish head contrasting with a white neck collar and white underparts shading into ashy on the abdomen. Their backs are brownish-grey with a white patch on the lower back. Their wings are pale grey with three brown bands. Their black tails have a clear white band in the middle which narrows and curve forward to reach the tip of the outermost tail features... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Wing noise0:15

India · 2018

© Peter Boesman · XC426477 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Langtang National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
~30%
2 Jiuzhaigou National Park 🇨🇳 China
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Snow Pigeon in Langtang National Park?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Snow Pigeon sighting in Langtang National Park on a given day, based on 171 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 26th most-seen of the 225 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Snow Pigeon in Langtang National Park?

April, July and September

In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Snow Pigeon in Langtang National Park on a given day, against about 20% in February, June and December, the lowest months. Those are among Langtang National Park's wettest months, with about 220 mm of rain a month against 10 mm in November.

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

Between 2 and 5 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Snow Pigeon sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.

Is Langtang National Park the best place to see a Snow Pigeon?

Yes

Of the 2 parks where we can rate Snow Pigeon sightings, Langtang National Park has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Jiuzhaigou National Park (China, under 5%).

Where does the Snow Pigeon sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Snow Pigeon is recorded against all the birds logged in Langtang National Park (171 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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