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Early French dovecotes were known as 'fuies'. Today, the names 'colombier' (from 'columbin', the Old French word for pigeon) and 'pigeonnier' are used, and the word ifuie' refers to a building that has been converted into a dovecote. The French word for pigeon hole is 'boulin'. Typically, each boulin in a pigeonnier would accommodate a pair of pigeons.
French dovecotes were primarily used for harvesting pigeons' meat, although the droppings were also used as fertiliser (called 'colombine'). Most were made of brick or stone, and were small in size but had intricate designs. Some churches built in the Medieval Period had large dovecotes on their grounds. Some pigeonniers were built from the ground up, while some were raised on a base made of wood, brick or stone.
The Southwest of France has more dovecotes than any other part of the country, as there are many grain farmers there that do not keep animals for eating. In the Medieval Period, fuies were seen as status symbols and were built on the grand estates of the wealthy to brag that they ate pigeon.
Some early pigeon nesting spaces in France were carved into large, unoccupied walls.