Gray fruit pigeon

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Gray fruit pigeon
Gray fruit pigeon of the subspecies Ducula pistrinaria rhodinolaema

Gray fruit pigeon of the subspecies Ducula pistrinaria rhodinolaema

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Pigeon birds (Columbiformes)
Family : Pigeons (Columbidae)
Genre : Large fruit pigeons ( Ducula )
Type : Gray fruit pigeon
Scientific name
Ducula pistrinaria
Bonaparte , 1855

The gray fruit pigeon ( Ducula pistrinaria ), also called clove fruit pigeon , is a large species of pigeon birds that is one of the fruit pigeons . It is a typical type of island found on several small islands off the coast of New Guinea.

The population of the gray island pigeon is given as Least Concern (not endangered).

Appearance

The gray fruit pigeon reaches a body length of up to 45 centimeters. It is thus somewhat larger than a wood pigeon , but a little more compact and robust. The tail accounts for 13.3 to 15.2 centimeters. There is no noticeable gender dimorphism .

The head has a showy flat forehead. The head and neck are light blue-gray. The feathers directly at the base of the beak are cream-colored and clearly set off from the pale slate-gray plumage of the forehead. The feathers around the eyes are cream-colored like on the base of the beak and form a wide, glasses-shaped ring, especially above the eye. The chin is creamy white, the throat is dull wine-pink, the chest is gray with a pink tinge. The belly sides and flanks are light, silvery gray, the middle belly is slightly reddish brown, but overall lighter than the breast. The coat, the back, the upper tail and wing covers are iridescent bronze green with a silvery gray. The tail feathers are dark blue-black on the upper side with a matt greenish sheen on the outside flags. The under tail-coverts are dark brown. The beak is gray-blue. The wax skin is red. The iris is red to dark brown. The feet are red.

The iris is red, the dark circles are gray, and the feet and legs are purple.

Young birds are colored like the adult pigeons, but overall more dull and paler. On the upper side of the body, the breast feathers are still lined with light brown. The wine-pink tint on the throat and chest is missing. There is no shimmer on the upper side of the body.

Possible confusion

In the distribution area of ​​the gray fruit pigeon, the red wart pigeon belonging to the same genus also occurs. Only young birds of this species can be confused with the gray fruit pigeon, because their wax skin has not yet turned red. Overall, however, this species is larger, has a shinier upper body and lower tail-coverts and parts of the lower abdomen are maroon.

The Tonga pigeon is also found in the distribution area of ​​the gray fruit pigeon. It has a noticeably enlarged black wax skin. The greatest danger of confusion is here again with the young birds of this species. The rear neck of this species is lighter gray. The white dark circles are not that noticeable.

Distribution area and habitat

The distribution area of ​​the gray fruit pigeon are small islands off the coast of New Guinea, the smaller ones of the Solomon Islands , islands of the Bismarck Sea , the Admiralty Islands and Lihir Islands . Basically, it is often found on small islands. It is rare on large islands and may be found there in the coastal region. It is missing in the interior of these islands.

The gray fruit pigeon is a forest dweller found in primary forests, old secondary forests, mangroves and overgrown coconut plantations. As a rule, she avoids human settlements. Even if it is mostly in the direct vicinity of the coast, it occurs at an altitude of 250 meters on New Britain and at an altitude of 800 meters on Bougainville .

Way of life

The gray fruit pigeon occurs solitary, in pairs or in small groups. Occasionally, however, there are also hundreds of pigeons. It usually resides in the top of the trees. But she comes to the floor to drink, for example.

It is a fruit-eating species that picks fruit directly from the branches of large fruit-bearing trees. It is not a species that is true to its location and crosses the open sea in search of new food sources. Some of the pigeons go to smaller islands off the coast to spend the night there. Your flight is fast, powerful and straightforward.

Brooding gray fruit pigeons were observed on Bougainville from July to September, on Nissan in June and August and on one of the Credner Islands in March. The nest is a simple platform that is built at the end of a horizontal branch. This is between 3.5 and 17 meters above the ground. The clutch consists of a single egg, both parent birds breed.

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

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Ducula pistrinaria in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2012. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved on November 4 2016th
  2. ^ Gibbs, Barnes and Cox: Pigeons and Doves , p. 547.
  3. ↑ a b c d Gibbs, Barnes and Cox: Pigeons and Doves , p. 546.
  4. ↑ Rösler: The wild pigeons of the earth . P. 299