The stock dove (Columba oenas) is a type of bird in the pigeon family, Columbidae. It is found in many areas of the western Palearctic, ranging from central Scandinavia in the north to northwest Africa in the south. Populations in western and southern regions stay year-round, while those in the northeast migrate to escape cold winters.
These birds have blue-grey plumage with two short dark wing bars on their wings and a broad dark grey bar at the tail tip. Their breast has a light pinkish-purple hue, and their neck features an iridescent patch that can appear green or purple depending on the light. The stock dove has dark eyes and a pink bill with a yellow tip. Males and females look alike, but males are slightly larger. Juveniles resemble adults but lack the iridescent neck patch. In flight, their grey wings have a dark edge, and their underwing is also dark grey, unlike the white underwing of the rock dove.
The stock dove belongs to the genus Columba, which includes pigeons usually seen in pale grey or brown colors, often with white markings and iridescent patches on the neck and breast. The neck feathers can form grooves, but this feature is less obvious in stock doves. The three western European Columba pigeons have unique traits. The common wood pigeon stands out due to its larger size and the white markings on its neck and wings. The rock dove and stock dove are similar in size and coloring, but wild rock doves have a white rump and two dark wing bars, while stock doves have a grey rump and incomplete wing bars.
Stock doves are social and often gather with wood pigeons and sometimes with rock doves.
