Mountain pigeon
| Mountain pigeon | ||||||||||
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Mountain pigeon, India |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Ducula badia | ||||||||||
| ( Raffles , 1822) |
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The mountain pigeon ( Ducula Badia ), also Fahl abdominal dove called, is a type of pigeon birds, to the fruit pigeons counts and is used in large parts of South Asia. Several subspecies are distinguished in the large distribution area.
The population of the mountain pigeon was classified in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2016 as “ Least Concern (LC) ” = “not endangered”.
Appearance
The mountain fruit pigeon reaches a body length of up to 45 centimeters. It is thus somewhat larger than a wood pigeon , but has a somewhat stronger physique. The tail accounts for 15.1 to 16.5 centimeters. There is no noticeable gender dimorphism .
The wax skin of the beak is largely featherless, so that the forehead appears steep. The front of the head, the crown and the reins are light gray-violet. The neck has the same color, but the tone is a little stronger. The mantle and the inner wing covers are dark red-brown. The back and the larger wing covers are dark gray-brown. The wings of the hand are dark brown. The upper tail-coverts are dark lead-gray, the tail feathers have the same color as the hand wings, but have a light gray band at the end. The chin and throat are white, the belly is gray-purple. The under tail-coverts are yellow-brown. The beak is brownish red with a red wax skin, the iris is light gray, the dark red circles under the eyes, the legs and feet are brownish red.
Young birds are grayer on the head, neck and chest than the adult birds. The mantle and the wing coverts are earth brown, most of the feathers have maroon edges. The back and rump are ash gray, the end band of the tail feathers is barely developed. The iris is still white. The beak and the wax skin are red-brown, the tip of the beak is white.
Possibility of confusion
In the large distribution area of the mountain pigeon there are several other pigeon species that are at least superficially similar to the mountain pigeon.
The distribution area of the black-backed fruit pigeon , which belongs to the same genus, overlaps with that of the mountain fruit pigeon on West Java. It is similarly colored, but has a noticeably grayer head. The coat and wings are brown, the beak is darker. The iris is red. The bronze pigeon , which also belongs to the same genus, occurs in large parts of the range of the mountain pigeon . However, it is a much smaller pigeon and is greenish on the top of the body. The control springs have the same color, they also lack the gray end band.
Three species of field pigeon are somewhat similar to the mountain pigeon . The Nilgirite dove occurs like the mountain fruit pigeon in the Indian Western Ghats , but is much smaller. The Himalayan pigeon is also significantly smaller and otherwise has a similar body plumage to the mountain pigeon. The tail of this species has no end band, the chest is dark gray and contrasts strikingly with the lighter belly. The black-billed olive pigeon is also significantly smaller and has longer, less rounded wings. The breast is spotted, the tail feathers also lack the gray end band.
Distribution area and habitat
The range of the mountain pigeon is very large and includes two disjoint ranges. It occurs in south India from Kerala and Mysore in the south to Belgaum and Goa in the north. The distribution area extends over the mountain range of the Western Ghats .
A second contiguous distribution area extends from Nepal to the southwest of Yunnan and Hainan and in a southerly direction over Burma, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Sumatra and the west of Java.
The mountain pigeon is an adaptable species that inhabits evergreen primary forests, but also occurs in secondary forests and mangroves. The altitude distribution extends from the lowlands to mountain forests. In the Himalayas it occurs at 2550 meters and on Sumatra it can still be found at 2200 meters above sea level.
Way of life
The mountain pigeon lives mainly solitary, in pairs or in small groups. Occasionally she joins troops of bronze fruit pigeons .
It is a rather secretive species that lives in the upper treetop area of the trees. It is seldom seen on the ground. It is easiest to spot in flight when it is crossing forests at high altitudes with powerful flight.
Mountain pigeons eat a wide range of berries and fruits. Figs and the fruits of various nutmegs play a major role in their diet.
The breeding season depends on the respective distribution area. In the north of the distribution area this falls in the period March to August, in the extreme south of its distribution area it breeds from January to April. The nest is a loose platform high in the treetops. Both parent birds are involved in building the nest. The clutch comprises a single egg.
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
- Ducula Badia in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2014 Posted by: BirdLife International, 2014. Retrieved on November 5 2016th
- Call of the mountain fruit pigeon on Xeno-Canto
Individual evidence
- ↑ Avibase on the mountain fruit pigeon , accessed on November 5, 2016
- ↑ a b Ducula Badia in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2016 Posted by: BirdLife International, 2016. Retrieved on October 10, 2017th
- Jump up ↑ Gibbs, Barnes and Cox: Pigeons and Doves , p. 564.
- ↑ a b c d Gibbs, Barnes and Cox: Pigeons and Doves , p. 563.