Black Wood Pigeon

Columba janthina Temminck, 1830

≈43 cmLength397 gWeight

The adult is smoky-black overall, with a small head, relatively long neck and tail, and red legs and feet.

Busiest months: May · Most records: Japan, China, South Korea

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Body smoky gray-black, with shiny feathers
Crown, scapulars, and side of neck iridescent green and purple
Head very small; neck and tail relatively long
Adult: tarsus red

Male, female and young

Sexes similar; juvenile is duller and grayer, often with pale yellow neck patches and a grayish-white tarsus.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: May · Most records: Japan, China, South Korea

Black Wood Pigeon has been recorded at 15 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 3 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Sakata – Tobishima (island)Japan244 records
Wajima – Hegurajima (island)Japan226 records
Miyakejima – Tairo-ikeJapan180 records

More places

Yeliu IBATaiwan (China)150 records
Amami – Tatsugo – Amami Nature ForestJapan119 records
Dadohaehaesang NP – Heuksan-do-Jin-riSouth Korea11 records
Dadohaehaesang NP – Heuksan-do (island)South Korea6 records
Mara-do (island)South Korea3 records
Busan – Igidae ParkSouth Korea2 records
Jeju City – Sarabong ParkSouth Korea2 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Japan China South Korea

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The black wood pigeon or Japanese wood pigeon (Columba janthina) is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is found in East Asia, occurring mainly on offshore islands of the Pacific's Korea Strait, Philippine Sea and East China Sea around Japan, Korea, China, and Taiwan (China). Its natural habitats are temperate forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Black Wood Pigeon?

The Black Wood Pigeon is about ≈43 cm long and weighs around 397 g.

Where does the Black Wood Pigeon live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic: islets southwest of southern Korean Peninsula, between southern Korean Peninsula and southern Honshu (southwestern Japan), Izu Islands (eastern Japan), Ryukyu Islands (southern Japan), and Bonin Islands (far southeastern Japan), and islets off Taiwan (China). It is most often recorded in Japan, China and South Korea.

When is the best time to see the Black Wood Pigeon?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in May (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Black Wood Pigeon endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Black Wood Pigeon as Least Concern.

What does the Black Wood Pigeon eat?

Main food: Seeds.

What family is the Black Wood Pigeon in?

It belongs to the family Pigeons, Doves (Columbidae), order Columbiformes.

At a glance

Length: ≈43 cm
Weight: 397 g
Habitat: Forest
Diet: Seeds
Lifestyle: Perches in trees
Migration: Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 238 mm
Tail: 182 mm
Bill: 27 mm
Tarsus: 33 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Palearctic: islets southwest of southern Korean Peninsula, between southern Korean Peninsula and southern Honshu (southwestern Japan), Izu Islands (eastern Japan), Ryukyu Islands (southern Japan), and Bonin Islands (far southeastern Japan), and islets off Taiwan (China)

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 1

Columba janthina janthina islets sw of s Korean Pen., Tsushima (between s Korean Pen. and s Honshu, sw Japan), Izu Is. (se of Honshu, e Japan), Ryukyu Is. (s Japan) and islets off Taiwan (China)