Short-beaked pigeon

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Short-beaked pigeon
Short-beaked pigeon, Costa Rica

Short-beaked pigeon, Costa Rica

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Pigeon birds (Columbiformes)
Family : Pigeons (Columbidae)
Genre : American pigeons ( Patagioenas )
Type : Short-beaked pigeon
Scientific name
Patagioenas nigrirostris
( Sclater , 1860)

The short-beaked pigeon ( Patagioenas nigrirostris , syn .: Columba nigrirostris ), is a species within the genus of the American field pigeons . It is a small, compact and dark feathered pigeon that is found in Central America. No subspecies are described for this pigeon.

The population of the short-billed pigeon was classified in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2016 as “ Least Concern (LC) ” = “not endangered”.

features

Short-billed pigeons reach a body length between 26 and 31 centimeters. They weigh between up to 128 and 236 grams. The gender dimorphism is not very pronounced.

In the case of the males, the crown, the back neck and the coat are brownish-violet and on the back and rump turn into a darker olive-brown with a violet shimmer. The wing covers and the arm wings are dark olive brown, the hand wings and the tail feathers are dark brown.

The face is brown-purple, but with a little more gray tones than the parting. The throat, the fore neck and the underside of the body from the chest to the under tail coverts are purple-gray.

Females are similar in color to males, but overall a bit more dull and lack the purple sheen of their plumage. Young birds are similar to females. However, their head, neck and chest are grayish brown.

The iris is dark red-brown or pink to wine-red in both sexes. The orbital ring is very narrow and red in color. The beak is small and strong compared to the body size and black in color. The feet are red.

The call of the short -beaked dove is a whistling, bright and melancholy sounding wu cu-cu cuuuh that is repeated several times. The characteristic call of the short-beaked pigeon is the easiest distinguishing feature because of the similarity to other pigeons. The flight is quick and straightforward.

Possible confusion

Short-beaked pigeon

There is a possibility of confusion with the nominate form of the purple pigeon as well as the red-billed and red-backed pigeons , which all belong to the same genus.

The purple pigeon is a pigeon species of the highlands, the range of the two species only occasionally overlaps. However, the two species can hardly be distinguished from one another in field observations. The red-billed pigeon is significantly larger than the short-billed pigeon and occurs primarily in dry forests. The most important distinguishing feature is the partly blue-gray wing-coverts of the red-billed pigeon. Unlike the short-tailed pigeon, the red-backed pigeon has a light to whitish belly and a light rump. The tail feathers are a lighter gray.

Distribution area and habitat

The distribution area of ​​the short-billed pigeon extends from southeast Mexico via Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica to northwest Colombia.

The short-billed pigeon is common in the rainforests of the Mexican lowlands. It occurs there at altitudes of up to 1000 meters. In the east of Panama, in the west of Costa Rica and in Colombia, the short-beaked pigeon can also be found at altitudes of 1500 meters.

Way of life

The short-beaked pigeon is a species of tree-dwelling pigeon in rainy tropical forests. It occurs either singly or in pairs and often sits on dead branches or in the crown of individual trees in forest clearings. The short-beaked pigeon only very rarely comes to the ground to take in gastroliths . It usually stays in the upper tree area and also uses secondary forests. It eats various fruits and berries and shows a particular preference for the berries of mistletoe.

In Costa Rica, the short-billed pigeon breeds from March to August. In Panama, however, breeding birds were also found in June. The nest is a loose platform that is built in a tree between five and 30 meters above the surface of the earth. The clutch consists of just a single egg.

literature

  • David Gibbs, Eustace Barnes, 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

Commons : Short-billed pigeon ( Patagioenas nigrirostris )  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files

Single receipts

  1. ↑ Patagioenas nigrirostris in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2016 Posted by: BirdLife International, 2016. Retrieved on October 10, 2017th
  2. ↑ a b c d e Gibbs, Barnes, Cox: Pigeons and Doves. P. 232.
  3. ↑ Short-billed pigeon on Xeno-Canto , accessed on September 24th.