Gray island pigeon
| Gray island pigeon | ||||||||||
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Gray island pigeon |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Ducula pickeringii | ||||||||||
| ( Cassin , 1854) |
The gray island fruit dove ( Ducula pickeringii ), also known as Pickering dove, is a monotypical species of pigeon birds that is one of the fruit pigeons . It is a typical type of island that occurs on several small islands off the coast of the Philippines, Borneos and Sulawesi.
The population of the gray island pigeon was classified in the IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species in 2016 as " Vulnerable (VU) ".
Appearance
The gray island pigeon reaches a body length of up to 40 centimeters. It is about the size of a wood pigeon , but a little more compact and strong. The tail accounts for 21.7 to 22 centimeters. There is no noticeable gender dimorphism . The females are only slightly smaller and a bit less wine-red on the chest and head than the males.
The head is light mauve to gray-pink. The eyes and the base of the beak are surrounded by narrow white rings. The neck, chest and belly are light gray with a pink tinge that is particularly intense on the chest and throat. This color lightens a little towards the lower abdomen and the flanks. The coat, the back and the wings are gray-green, the transition between light gray neck and dark coat is very abrupt. The top of the body has an individually different metallic sheen. The tail is dark green. The under tail-coverts are gray-pink with a reddish tinge.
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 are a bit grayer overall. They also lack any green or bronze shimmer on the underside of the body. The pink color on the head and underside of the body is less intense.
Possible confusion
In the distribution area of the gray island pigeon, the bronze fruit pigeon belonging to the same genus occurs. This is significantly larger, the coat, the wings and the tail of this species is metallic green and contrasts strikingly with the gray neck. The underside of the body of the bronze fruit pigeon is less mauve. The species also has chestnut-brown under tail-coverts, which stand out strongly from the rest of the underside of the body.
Distribution area and habitat
The distribution area of the gray island pigeon are small islands off the coast of Borneo, the southern Philippines and the north of Sulawesi. It is a distinct island shape.
About 20 of the islands that she has at least historically inhabited are located off Palawan , Mindanao and in the Sulu Archipelago . 13 other islands are located off the mainland coast of the Malay state of Sabah , the Malay part in northern Borneao. It occurs or was also found on the Derawan Islands , on coastal islands off Kalimantan and the Talaud Islands . On two islands that are part of the main distribution area, namely the Philippine island of Ursula and the Malay island of Pulau Mantanani, only have populations of 30 individuals. In contrast, the gray island pigeon is still common on the Talaud Islands.
The gray island pigeon inhabits all forests on these small islands. It also occurs in mangroves that are directly adjacent to agricultural land.
Way of life
The gray island pigeon lives solitary or in pairs. Only in exceptional cases is it observed in small groups. We know from observations in Borneo that it crosses the open sea more often. There it changes from feeding grounds in the coastal area of Borneo to its nocturnal resting places on coastal islands. The fluctuating population numbers on some of the islands inhabited by this pigeon species indicate that the species is either a nomadic pigeon species or that there are seasonally induced migrations.
The gray island pigeon mainly eats fruit. It is known to eat figs from various fig trees and the fruits of ylang-ylang . It has also been observed when consuming flowers and young leaves.
Almost nothing is known about the breeding biology of this species. An egg was observed in January on the Sulawesian island of Miangas , and on an island off the coast of Sarah, a young bird was found in June and breeding birds in August.
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 pickeringii in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2012. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved on November 5 2016th
- Call of the Gray Isle Fruit Dove on Xeno-Canto