Moluccan bronze fruit pigeon

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Moluccan bronze fruit pigeon
Moluccan bronze fruit pigeon, also called blue-tailed fruit pigeon

Moluccan bronze fruit pigeon, also called blue-tailed fruit pigeon

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Pigeon birds (Columbiformes)
Family : Pigeons (Columbidae)
Genre : Large fruit pigeons ( Ducula )
Type : Moluccan bronze fruit pigeon
Scientific name
Ducula concinna
( Wallace , 1865)

The Moluccan bronze fruit pigeon ( Ducula concinna ), also known as the blue-tailed fruit pigeon , is a large species of pigeon birds that is one of the fruit pigeons . It occurs exclusively in Southeast Asia on small islands.

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

Appearance

The Moluccan bronze fruit pigeon reaches a body length of about 42.5 to 45.5 centimeters. It is thus slightly larger than a wood pigeon . The tail accounts for 13.7 to 17.4 centimeters. The weight is around 700 to 925 grams. There is no noticeable gender dimorphism . In the females, only the gray and mauve-pink colored plumage areas are a little darker. The basal half of the beak is covered by a soft, heavily swollen skin close to the base, which is pinnate from the middle in this species. This makes the forehead of the Moluccan bronze fruit pigeon look very flat.

The plumage on the forehead, neck, chest and belly is very light silver-gray. The chin, throat and ear covers are slightly darker. The neck and the top of the head are mauve. The back neck as well as the upper coat are pale silver gray. The rest of the coat and the back are iridescent green. The upper tail-coverts are glossy purple-blue. The under tail-coverts are dark maroon. Freshly molten control springs have a striking purple-blue sheen. Older control springs appear blackish.

Possible confusion

The white-eyed fruit pigeon also occurs in the distribution area of ​​the Moluccan bronze fruit pigeon . However, their head is more rounded. The head, neck and underside of the body are a darker gray. Unlike the Moluccan bronze fruit pigeon, the under tail covers are gray. The bronze fruit dove is dark gray with a wine-red tint on the head, neck and underside of the body. The top of the body and the tail are metallic blue and green.

Distribution area

The Moluccan bronze pigeon inhabits various small islands in Wallacea

The Moluccan bronze pigeon is found on a number of small islands in Wallacea . They are essentially the Talaud Islands, small islands north and south of Sulawesi and islands between Seram and the Kai Islands . It is also found on the Aru Islands and directly on the Kai Islands. As a stray visitor , she always reaches the Australian coast. It is typical for this species of pigeon that it suddenly appears on islands where it has not been observed before and is suddenly absent on islands where it was once a very common pigeon species. This phenomenon is particularly noticeable on very small islands.

Basically, the Moluccan bronze pigeon specializes in small islands and occurs in almost every habitat of these island worlds, even if they have some trees. It colonizes dry monsoon forest, forest edges, secondary forest as well as savannah and agricultural areas, provided they still have small patches of forest.

Way of life

The Moluccan bronze pigeon is usually found solitary or in pairs. Occasionally she is gathered in larger groups and occasionally she joins groups of other pigeon species. She crosses straits and has been repeatedly observed as she flies to islands more than 160 kilometers away.

Systematics

Occasionally, three subspecies are distinguished. In the opinion of Alan Kemp, however, it is doubtful whether such a migratory pigeon can even lead to such genetic isolation that subspecies arise. The named subspecies differ only slightly in the size and color intensity of the gray and mauve plumage. Accordingly, Kemp rather assumes individual differences.

The reproductive biology of this species has not yet been conclusively investigated. The nests found so far were high above the ground in treetops.

attitude

Moluccan bronze pigeons are not shown very often in zoological gardens. However, the first import took place around 1900 through the London Zoo . The pigeons were still kept there in 1904. In the 1960s, Rotterdam Zoo also kept pigeons of this species. A single Moluccan bronze fruit pigeon was also kept in New York's Bronx Park. In 1994 the Vogelpark Walsrode successfully bred this species.

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 .

Web links

Commons : Moluccan bronze pigeon ( Ducula concinna )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ducula forsteni in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2016 Posted by: BirdLife International, 2016. Retrieved on October 10, 2017th
  2. ↑ a b c d Gibbs, Barnes and Cox: Pigeons and Doves , p. 538.
  3. ^ Gibbs, Barnes and Cox: Pigeons and Doves , p. 537.
  4. ↑ Rösler: The wild pigeons of the earth - free life, keeping and breeding . P. 296.