Band-tailed Pigeon Identification Guide

Key Field Marks

• Size & shape: A large, plump pigeon (33–38 cm), noticeably bigger and longer-tailed than a Rock Pigeon/street pigeon, with a small head and a long, broad tail.
• Head & neck: Purplish-pink head and breast; a crisp, thin white crescent across the back of the neck (nape), above an iridescent, bronzy-green patch on the hindneck.
• Bill & legs: Bright yellow bill with a black tip; yellow legs and feet — a useful mark at any distance.
• Body: Plain grayish body overall, without the varied patchwork of colors typical of feral Rock Pigeons.
• Tail: In flight, shows a pale gray band across the tip of an otherwise darker tail — the source of the species' name, best seen from below or as the bird flares its tail.

Similar Species

• Rock Pigeon (feral/street pigeon): Smaller, shorter-tailed, and highly variable in plumage (grays, whites, browns, iridescent patches) but never shows the clean white nape crescent, yellow bill, or pale tail band of Band-tailed Pigeon.
• Mourning Dove: Much smaller and slimmer with a long pointed (not broad, banded) tail edged in white spots, and lacks the yellow bill.

Where & When to See It

• Found along the Pacific coast and interior mountains of western North America, from British Columbia south through the western U.S. into Mexico and Central America, with a separate population in the southern Rockies/Southwest.
• Favors coniferous and mixed oak-conifer forests, especially where oaks (for acorns) or fruiting trees are present; often seen in flocks feeding in treetops or visiting mineral springs.
• Northern and high-elevation populations migrate south for winter; coastal populations, especially in California, are largely resident.

Voice

• A deep, resonant, owl-like hooting, often given as a repeated two- or three-syllable "whoo-whoo" or "who, who-whoo," audible from a considerable distance and easily mistaken for an owl by inexperienced listeners.