Madagascar fruit pigeon
| Madagascar fruit pigeon | ||||||||||
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Madagascar fruit pigeon |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Alectroenas madagascariensis | ||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1766) |
The Madagascar fruit pigeon ( Alectroenas madagascariensis ), also known as Madagascar blue fruit pigeon or red-tailed blue fruit pigeon , is a species of pigeon birds . It occurs exclusively in Madagascar. No subspecies are distinguished.
Appearance
The Madagascar fruit pigeon reaches a body length of 25 to 28 centimeters and weighs an average of 175 grams. There is no noticeable gender dimorphism . The only way to determine gender in captivity is a DNA test.
The plumage of the Madagascar fruit pigeon is strong black-blue and silvery gray-blue. The tail is short in relation to the body size. The outer two tail feathers are dark and have a red spot on the tip. The other tail feathers and the upper tail-coverts are bright blood red. The iris is greenish yellow with a red outer ring. The eye is surrounded by a wide, featherless red eye ring. The beak is greenish and brightens yellowish towards the tip. The feet and legs are dark red.
Young Madagascar fruit pigeons are greenish-blue in color, they initially lack any red component in their plumage, as is typical for adult birds.
Distribution, habitat and behavior
Madagascar fruit pigeons are only found in the east of Madagascar. They inhabit original tropical forest areas there, but also colonize secondary evergreen tropical deciduous forests. The species lives in pairs or in small flocks of up to 12 birds. It is a tree-dwelling species that feeds on fruits. The breeding season falls from July to March.
supporting documents
literature
- David Burnie (Ed.): Vögel , Munich 2008, Dorling Kindersley, ISBN 978-3-8310-1272-5 .
- Theo Pagel , Bernd Marcordes: Exotic soft-eaters . Eugen Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart 2011, ISBN 978-3-8001-5192-9 .
- Gerhard Rösler: The wild pigeons of the earth - free life, keeping and breeding , Verlag M. & H. Schaper, Alfeld-Hannover 1996, ISBN 3-7944-0184-0 .
Single receipts
Web links
- Alectroenas madagascariensis in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2013.1. Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved October 31, 2013.