Mariana fruit pigeon
| Mariana fruit pigeon | ||||||||||
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Mariana Fruit Pigeon, San Diego Zoo |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Ptilinopus roseicapilla | ||||||||||
| ( Lesson , 1831) |
The Mariana fruit pigeon ( Ptilinopus roseicapilla ), also called the rose-head fruit pigeon , is a species of pigeon birds that is one of the downy pigeons . It is a small, compact and predominantly green-feathered species that occurs on a group of islands in Micronesia.
The stock situation of the Marianas Fruit Dove is with high risk ( endangered specified). No subspecies are distinguished.
Appearance
The Mariana fruit pigeon reaches a body length of 22 to 24 centimeters, of which 6.7 to 7.9 centimeters are on the tail. The wing length is 12.3 to 12.6 centimeters. The beak is 1.3 inches long. The weight averages 92 grams. There is very little gender dimorphism . The females are only slightly dull in color.
Adult mariana fruit pigeons
The forehead, reins, and crown are pink and encircled by a narrow, pale yellow line that runs from the eye to the nape of the neck. The nape and throat are gray-olive in color. The mantle and the small wing-coverts are dark olive-colored, the large wing-coverts are lined with dark blue-green and olive-brown or matt yellow. The arm and hand wings are black, the outer flags have a dark green shimmer and the tips of the feathers and the outer flags are narrowly lined with yellow. The back is olive green up to the upper tail coverts, the tail plumage is dark green on the upper side with a conspicuous pale gray end band.
The chin and throat are gray-white with a slightly yellowish tinge, the ear covers are dull gray. The breast feathers are divided into two at the end, they are green with broad ash-gray tips. On the lower chest, the plumage is dark green with a dark purple spot in the middle. The belly sides are orange-brown, the middle of the belly, the flanks and the thighs are olive green. The legs are about half feathered, the feathers are dark green with yellow tips. The rump is yellow, the under tail-coverts orange and the tail plumage is gray on the underside with paler tips. The iris is yellow, the beak is dark green, the feet are dark red.
Fledglings
The young birds are initially completely green feathered, only on the forehead there is a pinkish red spot. The elytra are broadly sown yellow. The breast plumage is not yet divided into two at the end and has pale yellow edges. Young birds do not wear this plumage very long and soon molt into the plumage of the adult birds.
voice
The call is a long drawn out, plaintive-looking series of cooo, cooo, cooo, cooo-cut cucucucucu coo coo coo coo coo coo coo , which starts slowly, then becomes fast and then becomes slow again at the end.
Distribution area and habitat
The Mariana fruit pigeon occurs exclusively on the Mariana Islands , an archipelago in the western Pacific ( Oceania ) that is geographically assigned to the island region of Micronesia . She settled here on the islands of Guam and Rota . Aguijan , Tinian and Saipan .
The habitat of the Mariana fruit pigeon are the forest forms typical of the islands. It used to be found in mangroves and also accepts secondary forest.
Way of life
The Mariana fruit pigeon lives solitary or in pairs, it only seldom forms small groups. However, aggregations of several individuals can occur in fruit-bearing trees. Basically, it is a very shy bird that retreats into the dense foliage of trees in case of danger and remains there motionless.
The Mariana fruit pigeon eats fruits and berries that it picks directly from the branches. It usually resides in the top of the canopy or deep inside the canopy. However, it also comes to the ground to eat the fruit of the bitter melon . The Mariana fruit pigeon can presumably brood all year round, but until 2001 no active nests were detected for the months of December and February. The nest is a pigeon-typical loose platform made of branches and twigs, which is erected one to seven meters above the ground. The clutch comprises a single egg.
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 .
- 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 .
