Congo pigeon
| Congo pigeon | ||||||||||
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Congo pigeon |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Columba unicincta | ||||||||||
| Cassin , 1859 |
The Congo pigeon ( Columba unicincta ), also Congo wood pigeon , is a species of pigeon birds. It occurs exclusively in western sub-Saharan Africa .
The population of the Congo pigeon is given as least concern , 'safe'.
features
The Congo pigeon reaches a body length of 36 centimeters and is a compactly built pigeon, which is reminiscent of a wood pigeon in its shape . There is no noticeable sexual dimorphism . It weighs between 358 and 453 grams.
The male's forehead, crown, neck and coat are pale gray and turn blue-gray at the end of the coat. The feathers of the wing-coverts are lined with pale gray, so that the wings look as if they were scaled up close. The back, the rump and the upper tail-coverts are blue-gray. The tail is dark slate gray with a wide white transverse band on the outer control feathers. The inner control springs are pale gray; the control springs also have a black tip. The chin and throat are grayish white, the chest is pale pink and gray, the belly is pale gray to white. The flanks and the underside of the wings are dark gray. The under tail-coverts are white. The iris is orange to red, the orbital ring is bright red. The beak is slate blue and brightens towards the tip. The feet and legs are scaly gray.
The females resemble the males with their body plumage, but are dull pink on the underside of the body. Young birds have a brownish body plumage, which appears cross-banded due to isabel-colored and chestnut-brown feathers.
Possible confusion
The other pigeon species that occur in the distribution area of the Congo pigeon differ significantly from it.
The red-billed olive pigeon is smaller and darker on the top of the body. The White naped Pigeon has unlike the Congo dove a conspicuous white cravat. The glossy-headed pigeon is smaller, generally darker and has strikingly iridescent plumage on the back of the neck and on the coat.
Distribution area and habitat
The distribution area of the Congo Dove extends from Liberia to the southeast of Uganda and the northwest of Tanzania. From there the distribution area extends to Gabon and the northwest of Angola. The range further to the west is disjoint. There are isolated populations in Liberia and Ivory Coast, southern Ghana, western Cameroon, and northern Uganda. There are also isolated populations in northwestern Angola and in the border region between Zaire, Zambia and Angola along the Kasais . It is common in the Congo Basin from southern Cameroon to southwest Uganda. The pigeon is locally common in Cameroon and Gabon. It is basically a resident bird, but also undertakes seasonal migrations when food is scarce.
The Congo pigeon is a species that lives in trees and occurs in primary and secondary forests of the lowlands and mountains up to altitudes of 1600 meters. It is mostly in the dense tree tops. Like other forest pigeons, however, it also uses clearings and overgrown plantations when these are in forest areas. It is also found on coffee plantations in Angola.
Way of life
The Congo pigeon usually occurs in small flocks. Occasionally, larger troops are formed when the food supply is correspondingly large. It can occasionally be seen together with other forest-dwelling pigeons on agricultural land when the food supply is scarce. The breeding season falls into different periods depending on the distribution area. In Zaire, for example, it breeds in July and from January to April. In Uganda it breeds in March and April. The nest is built high in trees. The clutch consists of a single white egg. No data are yet available on the incubation period and the nestling period. Presumably, however, this is comparable to that of the other species of field pigeons .
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 .
- Alois Münst and Josef Wolters: Tauben - The species of wild pigeons , 2nd expanded and revised edition, Verlag Karin Wolters, Bottrop 1999, ISBN 3-9801504-9-6 .
- Gerhard Rösler: The wild pigeons of the earth - free living, keeping and breeding . Verlag M. & H. Schaper, Alfeld Hannover 1996, ISBN 3-7944-0184-0 .
Web links
- Columba unicincta in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2012. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2012. Accessed October 17, 2016th
Single receipts
- ↑ Rösler: The wild pigeons of the earth , p. 89
- ↑ Columba unicincta in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2012. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2012. Accessed October 17, 2016th
- ↑ a b c Gibbs, Barnes and Cox: Pigeons and Doves , p. 192.
- ↑ a b Gibbs, Barnes and Cox: Pigeons and Doves , p. 193.