It is widely distributed in the western Palearctic, north to central Scandinavia and south to northwest Africa.

The stock dove was first formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae.

The short, deep, "grunting" Ooo-uu-ooh call is quite distinct from the modulated cooing notes of the common wood pigeon.

The common wood pigeon may be readily distinguished by its large size, as well as the white on its neck (in adults) and wings.

Although the species is not considered threatened in Europe, it is classified in Schedule 2 of the Birds Directive and Annex III the Berne Convention.

It has been observed nesting in rabbit burrows, ruins, old poplar hedges, cracks in crags or cliff faces, in ivy, and in the thick growth around the boles of lime trees.

Its flight is quick, performed by regular beats, with an occasional sharp flick of the wings, a characteristic of pigeons in general.

It perches well, and in nuptial display walks along a horizontal branch with swelled neck, lowered wings, and fanned tail.

Its diet can include a variety of foods: berries such as bay and hawthorn, figs, cereal grains, beans, peas, and small invertebrates that are obtained while walking on the ground.

During autumn migration in October, stock doves stop over at places with an abundance of acorns, supplementing the diet with shoots and leaves.

[15] The genus name Columba is the Latin word meaning "pigeon, dove",[16] whose older etymology comes from the Ancient Greek κόλυμβος (kolumbos), "a diver", from κολυμβάω (kolumbao), "dive, plunge headlong, swim".