Letter dove
| Letter dove | ||||||||||
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Letter pigeons |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Geophaps scripta | ||||||||||
| ( Temminck , 1821) |
The letter pigeon ( Geophaps scripta ), also called partridge pigeon or blue-eyed pigeon , is a species of pigeon birds. It occurs in two subspecies exclusively in Australia. Although its populations have decreased due to increasing grazing livestock, it is not considered to be threatened.
Appearance
The letter pigeon reaches a body length of 28 centimeters and is almost as big as a city pigeon . The shape of the letter doves is more reminiscent of a partridge, there is no gender dimorphism. The nominate shape has a light blue eye ring, which has led to the German name Blaubrillentaube. In the subspecies Geophaps scripta peninsula occurring in the north of the range , the eye ring is red.
The plumage is predominantly gray-brown. Only on the wing top feathers does it light up to a yellow-brown. The back feathers have pale hems. The chest and belly are blue-gray. The feathers on the flanks and the sides of the chest, on the other hand, are white. The throat and face are drawn in black and white. The beak is black, the iris is dark brown.
Distribution, habitat and behavior
The letter dove occurs in eastern Australia. She settled there from Queensland to New South Wales . It is a bird of open landscapes and prefers to be near water. Like all Geophaps species, it is highly adapted to life on the ground. When threatened, it does not initially fly open, but presses itself against the ground, then tries to escape the danger continuously and only flies up if it continues to feel threatened.
Letter pigeons are ground breeders. The nest is just a shallow hollow on the ground lined with stalks. The clutch consists of two eggs. The incubation period is 17 days.
Keeping in human care
Letter pigeons were imported to Europe as early as 1882 and were shown for the first time in the Antwerp Zoo . Unlike the closely related Spinifex and Red-eyed Pigeons, it is compatible with other aviary inhabitants. Nevertheless, it is a relatively seldom kept species that requires, among other things, a heated shelter for its well-being.
supporting documents
Individual evidence
literature
- Gerhard Rösler: The wild pigeons of the earth - free life, keeping and breeding , Verlag M. & H. Schaper, Alfeld-Hannover 1996, ISBN 3-7944-0184-0
Web links
- Gallicolumba rufigula inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Endangered Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved October 31, 2013.