It is found in the four Greater Antilles: Cuba, Hispaniola (in the Dominican Republic and Haiti), Jamaica, and Puerto Rico.

Its natural habitats are forest, woodland, coastal desert, mangrove and swampy areas.

The head, hindneck, breast, and part of the folded wing are colored with a red-wine wash.

Three subspecies of the plain pigeon are recognized: During the 1970s, P. i. wetmorei was on the brink of extinction.

A conservation program was introduced to save the species and now it numbers a few thousand individuals.