In Pennsylvania we have only one kind of pigeon and he isn’t really ours.  He’s the descendant of European birds named rock pigeons because they nest on cliffs.  This distinguishes them from another European pigeon that nests in trees, the common wood pigeon (Columba palumbus).

Wood pigeons used to be shy and stay in the woods but now they hang out in parks and cities and are the most numerous bird in London, even more numerous than rock pigeons.

When these two encounter each other you can see that “wood” is bigger than “rock.”

In some parts of Europe wood pigeons are migratory.  In winter large flocks browse in the fields as shown below.  Notice the bright white patches on their necks and white wing bars visible in flight.

When it’s time to nest they’re back in the trees …

… raising baby pigeons in the woods.

(photos and video from Wikimedia Commons; click on the images to see the originals)