Blue-capped fruit pigeon

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Blue-capped fruit pigeon
Blue-capped fruit pigeon

Blue-capped fruit pigeon

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Pigeon birds (Columbiformes)
Family : Pigeons (Columbidae)
Genre : Downy pigeons ( Ptilinopus )
Type : Blue-capped fruit pigeon
Scientific name
Ptilinopus monacha
( Temminck , 1824)

The blue-capped fruit pigeon ( Ptilinopus monacha ) is a species of pigeon birds that is one of the so-called fruit pigeons . It occurs on some Indonesian islands.

The population of the blue-capped fruit pigeon was classified in the IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species in 2016 as " Near Threatened (NT) " = "potentially endangered".

Appearance

The blue-capped fruit pigeon reaches a body length of 17.5 centimeters. This makes it a very small, compact pigeon with a comparatively short tail that is significantly smaller than a laughing pigeon . The tail accounts for between 5.2 and 5.9 centimeters. The beak is between 1 and 1.1 centimeters long. A gender dimorphism is present. There is no other species of pigeon in the distribution area of ​​the blue-capped fruit pigeon with which it can be confused.

Appearance of the males

The wax skin is partially feathered. The front of the head and the parting are blue-gray. They are framed by a bright yellow stripe that runs around the eyes. The neck, the mantle and the wing coverts are olive-colored, with the middle and larger wing coverts in particular being a little lighter and slightly shiny. The wings are olive green with yellow edges. The wings of the hand are blackish with dark green and slightly shiny outer flags and tips. Freshly moulted birds have a very narrow yellow border at the tips. The back and the upper tail-coverts are olive green. The chin and throat are pale yellow. The breast is olive-colored with a blue spot of different sizes in the middle. The belly is a little lighter and more yellowish. The legs and feathered legs are olive-colored with yellow edges. The rump and the tail-coverts are sulfur-yellow. The tail is pale gray on the underside. The iris is orange, the beak is greenish, and the feet are red.

Appearance of females and fledglings

The females resemble the males in their plumage. The plumage on the vertex is duller and the back of the head is washed over green to dark green. The yellow band that encompasses the vertex in the male is either absent or limited to a short band that runs over the eyes. The chin and throat are green and contrast less noticeably with the plumage on the front neck and chest. The bruise on the chest is missing. The iris is orange like the male, but the beak is blackish. The feet are red.

The young birds resemble the females in their plumage, but they lack the yellow feather fringes on the wing covers and arm wings. Male fledglings very soon moult into plumage that corresponds to that of the adult males.

Distribution area and habitat

The blue-capped fruit pigeon is endemic to several Indonesian islands. It occurs on Morotai , Tidore , Ternate , Moti , Halmahera , Damar , Kayoa , Bacan , Kasiruta and the Obi Islands .

The habitat of the blue-capped fruit pigeon are rainforests. It occurs in both primary and secondary forests and also tolerates forests in which selective logging has taken place. It also occurs in strips of forest along coastal areas and mangroves. It prefers lowlands and rarely exceeds altitudes of more than 750 meters.

Way of life

The blue-capped fruit pigeon lives solitary or in pairs. However, smaller groups of this species can gather on abundant fruit-bearing trees. It is an inconspicuous and inconspicuous species of pigeon that does not enjoy calling, and prefers to stay in the lower peak area of ​​trees. The flight is fast and direct with whirring wings. The reproductive biology of this species has not yet been documented.

literature

  • David Gibbs, Eustace Barnes and John Cox: Pigeons and Doves - A Guide to the Pigeons and Doves of the World . Pica Press, Sussex 2001, ISBN 90-74345-26-3
  • Gerhard Rösler: The wild pigeons of the earth - free living, keeping and breeding . M. & H. Schaper Verlag, Alfeld-Hannover 1996, ISBN 3-7944-0184-0

Web links

Commons : Blue-capped fruit pigeon ( Ptilinopus monacha )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Ptilinopus monacha in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2016 Posted by: BirdLife International, 2016. Retrieved on 3 October 2017th
  2. ^ Gibbs, Barnes and Cox: Pigeons and Doves , p. 480.
  3. ↑ a b Gibbs, Barnes and Cox: Pigeons and Doves , p. 481.