Laurel pigeon

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Laurel pigeon
Laurel pigeon

Laurel pigeon

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Pigeon birds (Columbiformes)
Family : Pigeons (Columbidae)
Genre : Field pigeons ( Columba )
Type : Laurel pigeon
Scientific name
Columba junoniae
Hartert , 1916

The laurel pigeon ( Columba junoniae ) is a species of bird from the pigeon family (Columbidae) that only occurs in the Canaries . The stock amounts to 2,000 to 5,000 sexually mature pigeons. The stock situation is classified as near threatened . It is listed in Annex I of the EU's Birds Directive as one of the European bird species, for whose protection special measures must be taken.

The species is a natural symbol of the island of La Gomera .

description

The laurel pigeon reaches a body length of up to 38 centimeters and thus corresponds to the size of a wood pigeon . The gender dimorphism is only slightly pronounced.

In the male, the head, neck and upper coat are dark gray. The nape of the neck and the back of the throat shimmer green. The back and the short and rounded wings are dark gray mixed with brown. Breast and belly are reddish red, the rump is dark blue-gray, the upper tail-coverts are light blue-gray. The outer tail feathers are dark blue-gray, while the central tail feathers are a lighter gray. A light-colored end band runs on the tail feathers, although it is not sharply demarcated. The beak is a light pink, the iris is orange, the legs and feet are red.

In the female, the wine-reddish parts of the plumage are somewhat more dull. Young birds are generally more brownish than the adult birds. They also lack the iridescent feathers on the neck and back of the neck. The head and the underside of the body are gray-brown. The wing covers are matt brown. The back and rump are browner than those of the adult birds, while the tail feathers resemble those of the adult. Only in young birds that have just fledged are the control feathers a little shorter.

Possible confusion

The laurel pigeon is similar to the Bolles laurel pigeon found in the distribution area , but this has a significantly blue-gray plumage than the laurel pigeon.

distribution and habitat

The distribution area of ​​the laurel pigeon is limited to the west of the Canary Island with one exception, a resettlement program has been running on Gran Canaria for years to make the animals home again on the island. It breeds on the islands of La Palma , Tenerife and Gomera and has been observed on the island of El Hierro . Breeding laurel pigeons have not yet been observed there. Thanks to the settlement program of the EU and the government of Gran Canaria, around 386 specimens (including breeding pairs) currently live on Gran Canaria, and in 2017 alone 65 new pigeons were born in the wild.

La Palma is considered to be the main distribution of these pigeons, it occurs here mainly in the north. The laurel pigeon can also be found comparatively frequently on Gomera. Laurel pigeons prefer steep, wooded terrain and live in different forest types. However, they are particularly common in the laurel forest typical of the Canaries. The predominant plants of these subtropical wet forests are Azores laurel and smelly laurel . On Tenerife these can be found between 600 and 1500 meters above sea level and are criss-crossed with sparsely forested rocky slopes. The laurel pigeon is mostly found in these forests and is less common than the less shy Bolles laurel dove. Observing them on adjacent agricultural land and in pine forests only when the food supply is scarce.

Way of life

The laurel pigeon mainly eats the berries of the Azores laurel and stinking laurel, the two dominant tree species in their habitat. If she can no longer find sufficient food in the laurel forests, she also switches to adjacent agricultural areas. She eats cherries, wheat and oats there.

The breeding season falls from April to June, but laurel pigeons courting on La Gomera have also been observed in August. Gibbs, Barnes and Cox therefore consider it possible that an adequate supply of food is the decisive trigger for the breeding mood.

Laurel pigeons are ground breeders and nest mainly on ledges, under tree roots or fallen trees. Occasionally they also use dead trees as a nesting opportunity, but the nests are always on sparsely wooded rock slopes, regardless of the nest location used. The laurel pigeon only lays a single creamy white egg. The chick hatches after 18 to 19 days. Nothing is known about the duration of the nestling period.

Laurel pigeon and human

Hunting and impact of deforestation in the Canary Islands

The meat of the laurel pigeon is considered tasty and the laurel pigeon is a traditional game bird in the Canary Islands. Hunting still takes place, although the laurel pigeon is a protected species and has been banned since 1973.

However, the greatest influence on the population of the laurel pigeon is the large-scale decline in the laurel forests typical of the Canaries. The fragmentation of the remaining forest stands also has a detrimental effect on this species. Increasing grazing also reduces the quality of their habitat. Slash and burn is still common in the Canary Islands to "improve" pasture areas. There are regular losses of suitable forest areas. Rats prey on the eggs and chicks of the bay pigeons that breed on the ground. Feral domestic cats are another problem, especially in Tenerife, that contributes to the decline in the population.

Etymology and history of research

Ernst Johann Otto Hartert described the species under the current name Columba junoniae . The type specimen was collected at La Galga in the municipality of Puntallana and came from the collection of Henry Baker Tristram . "Columba" is the Latin word for "dove". The specific epithet »junoniae« is derived from its habitat »Junonia Mayor« or »Junonia Menor«, the old names of La Palma and Gomera .

attitude

The laurel pigeon was first imported to England in 1888, where the first breeding also took place in 1889. However, it is rarely cared for in human care.

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
  • Ernst Johann Otto Hartert: Notes on Pigeons . In: Novitates Zoologicae . tape 23 , 1916, pp. 78-88 ( online [accessed February 20, 2016]).
  • James A. Jobling: Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names . Christopher Helm, London 2010, ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4 .
  • 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 .
  • Martin Walters: The signals of birds - What birds reveal about the environment . Haupt, Bern 2011, ISBN 978-3-258-07682-9 .

Web links

Commons : Laurel Pigeon  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Columba junoniae in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015.4. Listed by: BirdLife International, 2015. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  2. ↑ Ley 7/1991, de 30 de April, de símbolos de la naturaleza para las Islas Canarias
  3. ↑ a b c Rösler: The wild pigeons of the earth . P. 89
  4. ↑ a b Gibbs, Barnes and Cox: Pigeons and Doves , p. 192.
  5. ↑ a b c d Gibbs, Barnes and Cox: Pigeons and Doves , p. 191.
  6. ↑ Laurel pigeon in Gran Canaria successfully resettled at infos-grancanaria.com, accessed on May 10, 2018.
  7. ↑ Martin Walters: The signals of the birds - What birds reveal about the environment . Haupt, Bern 2011, ISBN 978-3-258-07682-9 . , P. 157
  8. ↑ a b Ernst Johann Otto Hartert, p. 86.
  9. ↑ James A. Jobling, p. 114