Are these birds pigeons?

[flobadob]

We have a couple of birds out the back of the house. They are light grey in colour with some white. Also on the back of their necks they have a black and white stripe. Most of the time they stay together. They look a bit like pigeons that you would see around city centres but they are plumper and a different shade of grey. Do you think they are just another variety of pigeon?

[redman41]

Collared Doves by all accounts flobadob

[hc4361]

Collared dove?
http://birdbox.segfl....f-Collared-Doves.html

[rowanwitch]

plumper ? collared doves are slimmer and smaller... but the description is right apart from that

[hc4361]

Woodpigeon?
http://www.rspb.org.u...woodpigeon/index.aspx

[LoftyLottie]

Sound more like Wood Pigeons if they are are plumper.

http://www.arthurgros.../photos/colpald48.jpg

Collared doves (ring neck doves) if they are smaller and slimmer. Quite a lot smaller actually and usually just in pairs

http://www.ringneckdo...s%20WebPage/dove1.jpg

[LoftyLottie]

Woodpigeons are actually 'pigeons'

The ferral pigeons in towns are actually descended from rock doves not pigeons.

[flobadob]

Yes, they are definitely collared doves, they look like the bird in hc's first link. Thanks very much. I wonder are they here on a fleeting visit or will they stay about? Are they migratory?

[rowanwitch]

common as anything... noisy little things though they will probably stay around especially if you feed them

[LoftyLottie]

They were first in this country in the 1950's and are now one of our common birds. They stay all year round.

Just trying to remember where they first came from.

[LoftyLottie]

They are also extremely greedy and quite bossy. My jackdaws are frightened of them!!!

[hc4361]

They're a pain in the backside. They will sit on your chimney and the cooing will reverberate through the house.
They originated in Asia and were not in the UK until the 1950s, and now they are aggressively breeding. Thankfully they can be legally shot with air rifles.

[wildwood]

// Thankfully they can be legally shot with air rifles.//

Good going hc4361. Nice to see you're a true animal lover.

[hc4361]

Never claimed to love pests and vermin

[hc4361]

Never claimed to be but I certainly have no love for vermin, pests or non-native species that upset the balance of our natural wildlife such as the grey squirrel and collared dove.

[Answerprancer]

Does that apply to humans too in your world HC ?

[hc4361]

Don't be ludicrous - all humans are the same species.