THE STOCK DOVE 



COLUMBA &NAS 



LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Wild Blue 

 Rock Pigeon " (Essex). 



STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A local but widely dis- 

 tributed resident in all suitable parts of England and 

 Wales, but only breeds sparingly in Scotland and Ireland. 



RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST. 

 PAUL'S : The Stock Dove, broadly speaking, is nowhere 

 so common or so widely dispersed in the Metropolitan 

 area as the Ring Dove ; neither does it penetrate into 

 the most central districts like that species. I have 

 records of stragglers in Battersea Park, and the Hyde 

 Park and Regent's Park areas. It has also been seen in 

 Victoria Park. Beyond these limits it may be found in 

 the Tooting, Sydenham, Wimbledon, and Richmond dis- 

 tricts, visits Chiswick and Kew, is found in the Houns- 

 low and Osterley areas, then northwards through Ealing, 

 Acton, Horsenden, Sudbury, Wembley, Harrow, and 

 Bushey. It is also found at Pinner, Stanmore, Elstree, 

 Mill Hill, Hendon, Barnet, Enfield, Hampstead, Waltham, 

 and Epping, in the latter place said to be on the increase. 

 Wanstead, Ilford, Dagenham, and Rainham are other 

 localities ; whilst across the river it is found in the 

 Grays, Dartford, Farnborough, Croydon, Banstead, 

 and Epsom neighbourhoods, as well as in many inter- 

 vening places. There is a possibility that this bird is con- 

 siderably overlooked, especially near to central London, 

 where it can readily be confused with the many half-wild 

 domestic Pigeons, although the uniform colour of the 

 back should preclude any possibility of this. 



The Stock Dove is partial to well-timbered areas, so 

 many of which form a feature of the London suburbs. It 

 is a shy, wary species, usually seen during summer singly 



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