Negros fruit pigeon

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Negros fruit pigeon
Ptilinopus arcanus.svg

Negros fruit pigeon ( Ptilinopus arcanus )

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Pigeon birds (Columbiformes)
Family : Pigeons (Columbidae)
Genre : Downy pigeons ( Ptilinopus )
Type : Negros fruit pigeon
Scientific name
Ptilinopus arcanus
Ripley & Rabor , 1955

The Negros fruit pigeon ( Ptilinopus arcanus ) is an extremely rare or already extinct pigeon from the genus of the downy pigeons ( Ptilinopus ). It is only known from one female collected in 1953 on the Philippines island of Negros .

features

The holotype has a length of 16.5 centimeters. The plumage is predominantly bright dark green. A large, wide yellow eye ring runs around the iris. The forehead is ash gray, the throat gray-white. Conspicuous yellow fringes can be seen on the umbrella feathers and large wing covers, which form a rather narrow band on the folded wings. The rump and the under tail-coverts are yellow.

Occurrence and habitat

In May 1953, a couple was discovered on Mount Kanlaon on the island of Negros in a tall, fruit-bearing tree in a primary forest at an altitude of about 1,100 m. The female was shot, the male disappeared without a trace.

status

So far, every field work to rediscover the Negros fruit pigeon has failed. The main causes of their decline are habitat degradation and overhunting. Pigeon hunting is widespread and the forested area on Negros has shrunk to 4 percent. BirdLife International places this species in the critically endangered category . An unconfirmed sighting from Mount Kanlaon Natural Park in 2002 raised hopes that this species might still exist.

Systematics

Both Ernst Mayr and Thomas Brooks question the validity of the Negros fruit pigeon. In your opinion, this taxon could either be a hybrid or a dwarf specimen of the yellow-breasted fruit pigeon ( Ptilinopus occipitalis ). However, since the male of the Negros fruit pigeon has never been found, no statement can yet be made about the validity or invalidity of the species.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Ernst Mayr: New species of birds described from 1941 to 1955. In: Journal of Ornithology. Volume 98, Number 1 / January 1957
  2. ↑ Brooks, TM, Evans, TD, Dutson, GC, Anderson, GQA, Asane, DC, Timmins, RJ & Toledo, AG (1992) The conservation status of the birds of Negros, Philippines. Bird Conservation International, 2: 279-302.

literature

  • David Gibbs, Eustace Barnes and John Cox: Pigeons and Doves. A Guide to the Pigeons and Doves of the World . Robertsbridge, UK: Pica Press, 2001. ISBN 1-873403-60-7
  • Kennedy, RS, Gonzales PC, Dickinson EC, Miranda, Jr, HC, Fisher TH (2000) A Guide to the Birds of the Philippines, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Web links