Madagascar turtledove

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Madagascar turtledove
Madagascar Turtle Dove - Ankarafantsika - Madagascar S4E9255 (15297468115) .jpg

Madagascar turtle dove ( Nesoenas picturata )

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Pigeon birds (Columbiformes)
Family : Pigeons (Columbidae)
Genre : Nesoenas
Type : Madagascar turtledove
Scientific name
Nesoenas picturata
( Temminck , 1813)

The Madagascar turtledove ( Nesoenas picturata , syn .: Streptopelia picturata ) is a species of pigeon native to Madagascar , Mauritius , Réunion , the Comoros and the Seychelles .

External features

The Madagascar turtle dove is up to 28 centimeters long. This makes it slightly larger than a laughing pigeon , but in comparison with this it has a somewhat more plump build and longer legs. Compared to other lovebirds , it has a short tail. There is no gender dimorphism.

The shoulder is red-brown, the back is dark brown, the belly is light brown and the head is blue-gray. On both sides of her neck she has a tan field. The large wing-coverts are dark-matt brown and the under-tail-coverts are white. The rims of the eyes are red. The tip of the beak is blue-gray, while the base of the beak is purple. The iris is reddish brown, the eye ring is purple.

habitat

The Madagascar turtle dove inhabits evergreen primary and secondary forests and also uses other habitats, if these exist with groups of trees and bushes. It is therefore also found in the vicinity of agricultural areas and in the vicinity of towns and villages. It occurs from the lowlands to heights of 2000 m.

behavior

Nesoenas picturata

The Madagascar turtledove feeds mainly on seeds, but also on fruits and small animals, especially insects. Madagascar lovebirds usually live in pairs. However, larger swarms can form if there is an abundance of food.

The clutch consists of two eggs that are large in relation to the body size of the pigeon species.

Taxonomy

Genus Nesoenas

The Madagascar Turteltaube belongs together with the in Mauritius occurring pink pigeon ( Nesoenas mayeri ) to genus Nesoenas . This phylogenetically occupies an intermediate position to the field pigeons (genus Columba ) and the lovebirds (genus Streptopelia ). Accordingly, the Madagascar turtledove was alternately placed in the genus Columba or in the genus Streptopelia . T. Salvadori even established a monotypical genus Homopelia for this pigeon in 1893 . In 2005 Anthony S. Cheke proposed to transfer the Madagascar turtle dove to the genus Nesoenas, which was also established by Salvadori in 1893 for the closely related rose dove .

The Rodrigues pigeon , which was native to the island of Rodrigues , which belongs to the Republic of Mauritius , but became extinct there, was considered a subspecies of the Madagascar turtle dove for some time, but is now considered a separate species under the name Nesoenas rodericana .

Subspecies

Five subspecies of the Madagascar turtledove are currently known:

  • Nesoenas picturata aldabrana ( Sclater , 1872)
  • Nesoenas picturata comorensis ( Newton , 1877)
  • Nesoenas picturata coppingeri ( Sharpe , 1884)
  • Nesoenas picturata picturata ( Temminck , 1813)
  • Nesoenas picturata rostrata ( Bonaparte , 1855)

Keeping in human care

The Madagascar turtle dove plays a relatively large role in ornamental bird keeping. It was first shown at London Zoo in 1866. The world's first breeding was also achieved in Great Britain in 1907. After 1914, Madagascar lovebirds were no longer imported to Europe for a long period of time. In 1989 20 individuals of this species came to the Netherlands and Germany and have since been bred several times. The Madagascar turtle dove is considered a very intolerant species that reacts very aggressively to conspecifics and other pigeon species.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ T. Salvadori: Catalog of the Columbidae or pigeons in the collection of the British Museum. Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.), London 1893
  2. ^ Anthony S. Cheke: Naming segregates from the Columba – Streptopelia pigeons following DNA studies on phylogeny. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club (BOC), 125, 4, pp. 293-295, 2005
  3. ↑ Gerhard Rösler: The wild pigeons of the earth - free life, keeping and breeding . M. & H. Schaper Verlag, Alfeld-Hannover 1996, p. 116 ISBN 3-7944-0184-0
  4. ↑ Alois Münst, Josef Wolters: Tauben - The types of wild pigeons. 2nd expanded and revised edition. Verlag Karin Wolters, Bottrop 1999, p. 178 ISBN 3-9801504-9-6

literature

  • 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 .
  • Alois Münst, Josef Wolters: Pigeons - The types of wild pigeons. 2nd expanded and revised edition. Karin Wolters Verlag, Bottrop 1999, ISBN 3-9801504-9-6 .

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