In the first half of the 18th century the white-crowned pigeon was described and illustrated by several naturalists including John Ray in 1713,[3] Hans Sloane in 1725[4] and Mark Catesby in 1731.

It is around the same size as the common rock pigeon, but weighs a bit less since it is generally less chunky and has a relatively longer and more square tail.

Juveniles are a less dark shade of grey, lack the nape pattern and white iris, and show only a few pale feathers on the crown.

This species is a member of a diverse clade of Patagioenas which vary much in appearance, but are united by their triple coos (except in the scaled pigeon).

[16] The white-crowned pigeon primarily lives and breeds in nest colonies or individually in low lying, coastal, mangrove forests, and will travel inland to feed on the fruits and seeds of a wide variety of plants.

In Florida, the white-crowned pigeon has historically been documented nesting exclusively on remote, tidally inundated mangrove islands in wildlife refuges.

However, several instances of white-crowned pigeons nesting in heavily trafficked, urban areas, such as downtown Key West and Miami Florida, have recently been observed.

They typically breed in coastal red mangroves (Rhizophora mangle), which continue to be clear-cut for crops such as sugarcane.

Agriculture and deforestation have become a problem for the species' feeding grounds, typically inland hardwood forests.