The wood pigeon is the most abundant breeding bird in the UK and a major agricultural pest, making its welfare a complex issue involving lethal control, population dynamics, and the ethics of wildlife management.
Wood pigeons shot under general licence face welfare risks from wounding rather than clean killing, particularly at long range or by inexperienced shooters. Wounding rates in pigeon shooting can be substantial. Poisoning campaigns, sometimes illegal, cause prolonged suffering. The welfare of individual pigeons must be weighed against the legitimate interests of farmers, but any control method must minimise suffering through best practice standards.