STOCK DOVE

Shyer and a little smaller than the similar and ubiquitous Woodpigeon, and more tied to wooded areas and forest edges, this is nevertheless a common and widespread bird. It lacks its relative’s white neck patch and, in flight, also has more sharply contrasted colours than the Woodpigeon, with no white wing band – it also flaps its wings rather quicker. But to complicate matters, it is often found scattered among large flocks of Woodpigeons.