Solomon pigeon

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Solomon pigeon
Salomon pigeon (Microgoura meeki)

Salomon pigeon ( Microgoura meeki )

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Pigeon birds (Columbiformes)
Family : Pigeons (Columbidae)
Genre : Solomon pigeons ( Microgoura )
Type : Solomon pigeon
Scientific name
Microgoura meeki
Rothschild , 1904

The Solomon Pigeon ( Microgoura meeki ), also known as Solomon Islands Crown Dove or Solomon Earth Dove , is an extinct species of pigeon that was only found on the island of Choiseul in the Pacific island state of Solomon Islands .

Appearance

The salomon pigeon reached a length of about 30 cm, which is roughly the size of a chicken. Similar to the crowned pigeons of Papua New Guinea , the head had a fan comb. The forehead and the front of the face were black. The rest of the face was sparsely feathered and had a reddish hue. The coat and chest were tinted from dark bluish to blue-gray, the underside was brown. The wings and rump were olive brown. The tail was dark brown with purple tones. The belly was maroon. The upper beak was black, the lower red. The legs were purple. There are no known differences between the sexes.

die out

In 1904, six specimens were shot by Lord Walter Rothschild's collaborator Albert Stewart Meek , after whom this species was also named. These were brought to England together with an egg and exhibited there in the Walter Rothschild Museum in Tring . Because of Rothschild’s financial difficulties, five bellows had to be sold to the Natural History Museum of New York, where they can still be viewed today. During expeditions in 1927 and 1929, no more specimens could be found. The extinction is believed to be due not only to human hunting, but also to the pursuit of feral dogs and cats.

This and that

With the Choiseul islanders it was called kukuru-ni-lua , which means something like earth dove. The Solomon Pigeon adorns the flag of the Choiseul Province .

literature

  • Errol Fuller: "Extinct Birds" (2000)
  • Tim Flannery and Peter Schouten: "A Gap In Nature" (2001)
  • David Day: "The Doomsday Book of Animals" (1981)
  • Patrick Pikacha: Kuvojo, at endemic Choi ground pigeon in: Solomon Star News, November 7, 2005

Web links

Commons : Solomon Pigeon ( Microgoura meeki )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files