Hill Pigeon (Columba rupestris)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Hill Pigeon

Columba rupestris Pallas, 1811

≈34 cmLength245 gWeight

It closely resembles Rock Dove but has a single broad white band across the black tail.

Busiest months: June–July · Most records: China, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan

Looks like Rock Dove, Snow Pigeon

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

  1. A single broad white band across black tail
  2. A single white patch on back
  3. Upper back and upperwing paler than Rock Dove
  4. Body stout

Similar species

Rock Dove
Rock Dove

Similar in size and shape; Hill Pigeon has a broad white band across the black tail, paler upper back and upperwing, and a white patch on the back.

Snow Pigeon
Snow Pigeon

Tail patterns are similar in flight; Hill Pigeon lacks the contrast between head and neck seen in Snow Pigeon.

Where and when it's recorded

Hill Pigeon has been recorded at 291 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 8 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Lingshan Scenic AreaChina211 records
  2. Shidu, Juma River PNRChina203 records
  3. Baizha ForestChina107 records
More places
  1. Shugseb NunneryChina76 records
  2. YanhechengChina75 records
  3. Kanda MountainChina75 records
  4. Xining Ning Hu WetlandChina72 records
  5. Khovd Bird Ringing Station, Khovd, MNMongolia65 records
  6. JieguChina63 records
  7. LongyangxiaChina54 records

Countries and regions with the most records

ChinaMongoliaKyrgyzstanSouth KoreaNepalTajikistanRussiaKazakhstan

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 hill pigeon (Columba rupestris) is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. Other names include eastern rock dove and Turkestan hill dove.

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

Questions

How big is the Hill Pigeon?

The Hill Pigeon is about ≈34 cm long and weighs around 245 g.

Where does the Hill Pigeon live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic: central, eastern. It is most often recorded in China, Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan.

When is the best time to see the Hill Pigeon?

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

Is the Hill Pigeon endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Hill Pigeon as Least Concern.

What does the Hill Pigeon eat?

Main food: Seeds.

What family is the Hill Pigeon in?

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

At a glance

Length
≈34 cm
Weight
245 g
Habitat
Rocky terrain
Diet
Seeds
Lifestyle
Active on the ground
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
223 mm
Tail
113 mm
Bill
20 mm
Tarsus
28 mm

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

Range

Palearctic: central, eastern

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 2
  • Columba rupestris turkestanica Turkestan, w, n Himalayas and Tibet
  • Columba rupestris rupestris Mongolia, s Siberia to Korean Pen., s China and e Tibet

Classification

Family
Pigeons, Doves Columbidae
Genus
Columba

Other birds in the genus Columba

Rock DoveRock DoveColumba liviaSnow PigeonSnow PigeonColumba leuconotaSpeckled PigeonSpeckled PigeonColumba guineaWhite-collared PigeonWhite-collared PigeonColumba albitorquesStock DoveStock DoveColumba oenasYellow-eyed PigeonYellow-eyed PigeonColumba eversmanniSomali PigeonSomali PigeonColumba oliviaeCommon Wood PigeonCommon Wood PigeonColumba palumbusTrocaz PigeonTrocaz PigeonColumba trocazBolle's PigeonBolle's PigeonColumba bolliiLaurel PigeonLaurel PigeonColumba junoniaeAfep PigeonAfep PigeonColumba unicincta
Hill Pigeon

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by gilgit2. ↗

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