Species guide
Speckled Pigeon: how to recognise it
A bird of Europe, Africa and Asia. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © Paul Cools · CC BY-NC · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Columba guinea
- Family
- Pigeons and Doves
- Size
- About 31–35 cm
- Habitat
- Rocky hills, farmland and towns
- Found in
- Europe, Africa and Asia
The key marks
A grey pigeon with chestnut wings spotted with white and a bare red patch around the eye.
Voice
A deep, repeated “coo-coo-coo”.
Good to know
It has moved into towns across Africa, where it nests on buildings much like the Rock Pigeon.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in rocky hills, farmland and towns. It is especially common in South Africa. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.