Giant fruit pigeon

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Giant fruit pigeon
Giant fruit pigeon

Giant fruit pigeon

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Pigeon birds (Columbiformes)
Family : Pigeons (Columbidae)
Genre : Large fruit pigeons ( Ducula )
Type : Giant fruit pigeon
Scientific name
Ducula goliath
( Gray , 1859)
Depiction of the giant fruit pigeon from 1859

The giant fruit pigeon ( Ducula goliath ) is a large species of pigeon birds that belongs to the fruit pigeons and is the largest species in this subfamily. It occurs exclusively in New Caledonia in the southwestern Pacific and is not divided into subspecies.

The population of the giant fruit pigeon was classified in the IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species in 2016 as “ Near Threatened (NT) ” = “potentially endangered”.

Appearance

The giant fruit pigeon reaches a body length of about 51.5 centimeters. The tail accounts for 18.3 to 19.2 centimeters. The beak has a length of 2.3 to 2.5 centimeters. There is no noticeable gender dimorphism .

The head, neck and back are light gray to blue-gray. On the back of the neck, on the chest and on the wings the plumage has a silvery sheen. The neck and chest feathers are also elongated and forked. The elytra are dark soot-gray to dark red-brown. There is a reddish spot on the inner wing covers. The wings of the hand and arm are blackish with a silvery sheen. The tail feathers are black with a broad, dark maroon central band.

The chin and throat are blue-gray, the belly is purple-maroon and sharply set off against the gray chest. The thighs are lighter than the belly, the feathers have broad yellowish isabel-colored tips. The rump and the tail-coverts are yellowish cinnamon, the longer feathers are chestnut brown along the feathers. The iris is bright red with an orange-yellow inner ring. The orbital ring and eyelids are red-purple. The beak is flesh-colored to wine-red with a dark brown to blackish tip. The feet are matt pink to dark wine red.

distribution and habitat

The giant fruit pigeon is found only on New Caledonia and the Ile des Pins , an island southeast of New Caledonia. The giant fruit pigeon is rare on Ile des Pins, the main distribution area is New Caledonia. New Caledonia lies between the 19th and 23rd degrees of southern latitude and is therefore in the tropical climate zone . The average temperatures on the islands are between 20 and 30 ° C all year round. The mountain range running lengthways across the main island divides New Caledonia into a humid east (including the islands east of the main island) and a more arid west in the rain shadow . The relatively cool, dry season lasts from mid-May to mid-September, the rainy season from mid-November to April. The east side of the island receives about 2500 to 4000 mm of rain / year, the west side (leeward) generally less than 1500 mm. The giant fruit pigeon lives mainly in the moist mountain forests. It is under protection and hunting is prohibited. However, this ban has not yet been enforced.

Way of life

The giant fruit pigeon usually occurs singly or in pairs. The giant fruit pigeon eats a wide range of fruits. So far, studies have identified 38 different fruits that it is eating. Occasionally it also consumes leaves and flowers. Depending on the food supply, the giant fruit pigeon undertakes seasonal migrations within its range.

The breeding season falls from June to December. For a pigeon, the nest is a relatively stable platform that is 8 to 15 centimeters high and 30 to 40 centimeters in diameter. It is erected on a branch an average of 15 meters above the ground. The clutch usually consists of a single egg. Only in exceptional cases do they lay two eggs. If the clutch is lost, giant pigeons lay a second clutch after 12 to 31 days. However, it also happens that up to two years pass between the individual breeding attempts. Both parent birds are involved in the breeding and rearing of the young birds.

The straight-billed crow is an essential predator of eggs and young birds of this pigeon species.

attitude

The first import into a zoo took place in 1965 through the Schönbrunn zoo near Vienna. One of the imported birds lived in the zoo for over eight years. The giant fruit pigeon has been the subject of research at the Zoological Institute of the University of Zurich since the late 1970s. The first successful breeding of this species was achieved in 1990 in the Walsrode World Bird Park . The young bird did not fledge, however, but was crushed by its parents in the nest.

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 : Giant Pigeon ( Ducula goliath )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Ducula goliath 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. 557.
  3. ↑ a b c d Gibbs, Barnes and Cox: Pigeons and Doves , p. 558.
  4. ↑ Rösler: The wild pigeons of the earth . P. 304