Yellow-footed pigeon
| Yellow-footed pigeon | ||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Columba pallidiceps | ||||||||||
| ( Ramsay , 1877) |
The yellow-footed pigeon ( Columba pallidiceps ) is a type of pigeon bird that belongs to the field pigeons . It belongs to the large species within this genus and is about as large as the white-cheeked pigeon , but more powerfully built. The distribution area of the yellow-footed pigeon is the north of Melanesia .
The population situation of the yellow-footed pigeon is indicated as endangered ( vulnerable ). No subspecies are distinguished.
Appearance
anatomy
The yellow-footed pigeon reaches a body length of up to 37 centimeters. The tail accounts for an average of 11.6 centimeters of the body length. The wing length averages 239 millimeters. The beak is 24 millimeters long. So far only a single male has been weighed, weighing 439 grams. The sexual dimorphism is low.
Adult males
The forehead to the nape is pale silver-white. The stiffened neck feathers are black with broad, greenish-purple iridescent hems. The rest of the upper side of the body is black and has broad, metallic green shiny feather edges, which can also shine purple with certain incidence of light. The upper tail-coverts are black and have large, metallic green shiny feather tips. The large elytra, on the other hand, have small, metallic purple shiny feather tips.
The chin, throat and ear covers are pale silvery white. The rest of the underside of the body is soot black and lightens to a dark gray towards the rump. The fore neck and chest are shiny green and purple. The belly is a bit more matt in comparison, but also has metallic shimmering feather tips. The iris is yellow or orange. The orbital ring is red. The wax skin and the base of the beak are red, while the tip of the beak is pale yellow. The feet and legs, on the other hand, are yellow to orange-yellow.
Adult females
The females are feathered similar to the males, but the head is dull gray and can be spotted on the back part.
Fledglings
In contrast to the adult birds, juveniles have a black-brown head with isabel-colored feather edges. With them, the iridescent shimmer of the body plumage is also not so pronounced.
Possible confusion
There are several types of pigeons in the distribution area of the yellow-footed pigeon, with which it can be confused.
The white-cheeked pigeon , which occurs in the entire distribution area of the yellow-footed pigeon, also has iridescent plumage. Her parting is brown-violet and contrasts strongly with the white throat, the white chin and the white ear covers. The brown-backed green-winged pigeon , which is also found in the entire distribution area of the yellow -footed pigeon , is significantly smaller and has dark reddish-brown plumage. The iridescent sheen is limited to the wings. The red-headed pigeon , which occurs only in New Britain , has a red-brown crown and neck and a red-brown chest band.
Distribution area and habitat
The yellow-footed pigeon is only found in northern Melanesia . It settles here islands of the Bismarck Archipelago ( New Britain , New Ireland and Duke of York Islands ), Bougainville and some islands of the Solomon Islands . The habitat are moist tropical forests and forest edges. So far, there is insufficient data on the altitude distribution of this species. However, it is mainly observed in the lowlands and at altitudes of up to 650 meters. On Guadalcanal , however, it was also observed once at 1,300 meters.
Way of life
The yellow-footed pigeon is a secretly living species that is also rare in large parts of its range. It has therefore been little researched to date.
Yellow-footed pigeons have only been observed solitary or in small flocks of three individuals. It keeps mostly in the dense undergrowth. It mainly eats fruits and seeds. Gibbs et al. assume due to the strong legs and feet that they find most of their food on the forest floor. This is also indicated by reports that tell of the pigeons flying off the ground. It is presumably a resident bird , which, like many other fruit-eating pigeon species, roams nomadically within a certain area and looks for fruit-bearing trees.
So far nothing is known about the reproductive biology of the yellow-footed pigeon.
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