Wedge-tailed green pigeon
| Wedge-tailed green pigeon | ||||||||||
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Wedge-tailed green pigeon |
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| Treron sphenurus | ||||||||||
| ( Vigors , 1832) |
The wedge-tailed green pigeon ( Treron sphenurus ), also known as the wedge-tailed pigeon, is a species of pigeon birds. It is distributed in several subspecies in the foothills and mountains of Southeast Asia.
The population of the wedge-tailed green pigeon was classified in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2016 as “ Least Concern (LC) ” = “not endangered”.
Appearance
The wedge-tailed green pigeon reaches a body length between 30 and 35 centimeters. It is a medium-sized, compactly built pigeon that is slightly larger than a laughing pigeon . The tail accounts for between 9.2 and 12.1 centimeters. The beak is between 1.7 and 2.1 inches long. The gender dimorphism is low.
Appearance of the male
In the male, the forehead and reins are lime green, the parting to the crown is individually tinged with orange. The neck is bright green and turns a dark green on the coat. In most individuals, a dark red-brown band runs on the coat, in which there are individual olive-gray feathers. The small wing-coverts are dark red-brown, the middle wing-coverts are dark green in freshly molted birds with a narrow lemon-yellow border on the outer flags. The large elytra are black with a dark green tinge. These feathers are also lined with narrow lemon yellow on the outer flags. The wings of the hand are blackish with narrow white borders on the outer flags. The hand wings are dark olive green to black.
The back and the upper tail-coverts are dark green. With the wedge-shaped tail, the central control feathers are dark green with rounded ends. The outer control springs are gray-green with a diffuse black band.
The chin and throat are bright greenish yellow, the ear covers are a little greener. The breast is yellowish orange, the belly greenish yellow. The flanks are a little grayer, the rump is pale yellow, the thighs are pale yellow with a dark olive-green line drawing, the under-tail-coverts are unusually long. They are pale cinnamon in color.
The iris is red to maroon with an inner blue ring. The featherless orbital ring is narrow and turquoise in color. The wax skin and the base of the beak are turquoise to light blue, the tip of the beak is slate blue. The feet are bright red.
Appearance of females and fledglings
The females largely resemble the males in their plumage. However, they lack the orange tone on the head, the blue-gray tone on the back of the neck and the red-brown tone on the mantle and small elytra. The chest is darker and greener. The orange overlay is missing. The under tail-coverts are straw yellow with dark green feather shafts. The young birds resemble the females. The yellow feather clearance is wider in them and on the upper side of the body they are bright olive-colored.
Possible confusion
In the distribution area of the wedge-tailed green pigeon, the Siebold green pigeon also occurs, which also belongs to the green pigeons . This is very similar to the wedge-tailed green pigeon. The easiest way to tell apart is that it has a white belly. In the pointed-tailed green pigeon , the males lack the reddish-brown tone on the small wing covers, the tail is gray and clearly stands out from the green rump. The featherless eye ring is much wider. In the white-bellied green pigeon , the middle pair of control feathers is clearly elongated and dark green. There is a noticeable white spot on the abdomen. The males lack the orange tone on the crown and chest. The yellow-bellied green pigeon also has an elongated middle control spring pair that tapers to a point. The control feathers are dark gray and stand out clearly from the green rump. The under tail-coverts are bright yellow, the yellow seams are missing on the wing coverts. The featherless eye ring is also much wider in this species.
Distribution area
The distribution area of the wedge-tailed green pigeon is disjoint . It occurs in northern India as well as in Nepal, Bangladesh, in the southwest of Sichuan , in the west and south of Yunnan and in the west of Guangxi . It is also common in Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. The population in Malaysia as well as those on Sumatra, Java, Bali and Lombok are isolated from this. It is common in certain areas and often the only representative of the green pigeon at high altitudes.
The wedge-tailed green pigeon is preferred in mountain forests and also populates the high altitudes where only rhododendrons grow. Their typical altitude distribution includes altitudes between 1000 and 2800 meters above sea level. The populations on the Malay Peninsula can, however, be found from an altitude of 750 meters. On Java it still occurs at 3000 meters above sea level. Occasionally, wedge-tailed green doves migrate to lower levels in the foothills to look for food. Such high-altitude migrations, which can be observed in many green pigeon species, occur above all in the Himalayan region.
Way of life
The wedge-tailed green pigeon is a very gregarious species. It is typically found in groups of 6 to 15 individuals and is also associated with other species of green pigeon such as the pointed-tailed green pigeon. She is very trusting at times. This is especially true of the birds that live at very high altitudes. It rarely comes to the ground, but mainly hangs in the treetops, where it climbs the branches with parrot-like dexterity. Occasionally it hangs upside down on the branches to reach individual fruits. She comes to the ground to take up grit or mineral-rich earth or to drink. It feeds on fruits and berries. Small figs and mulberries play a major role in their diet. She focuses her foraging in the early morning and late afternoon.
Reproduction
So far, courtship has mainly been observed for wedge-tailed green pigeons kept in human care. During courtship, the males hop from branch to branch with their heads bowed and their throats expanded, with their wing and tail feathers spread. As is typical for pigeons, the nest consists of a loose platform of small branches. The clutch comprises two eggs. It is known from individuals cared for in human care that the breeding time is 14 days and that the young birds leave the nest at the age of 12 days. Both parent birds are involved in the breeding and rearing of the young birds.
attitude
The first pigeons of this kind came to Europe in 1867 and were successfully bred in England soon after. Because of its whistling calls, this species is more often kept as an ornamental bird in India.
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
- Treron sphenurus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2012. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2012. Accessed November 13, 2016th
- Call of the wedge-tailed green pigeon on Xeno-Canto
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Treron sphenurus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2016 Posted by: BirdLife International, 2016. Retrieved on October 10, 2017th
- ↑ a b c d e Gibbs, Barnes and Cox: Pigeons and Doves , p. 452.
- ↑ a b c d Gibbs, Barnes and Cox: Pigeons and Doves , p. 453.
- ↑ Rösler: The wild pigeons of the earth , p. 262