Ponape earth dove

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ponape earth dove
Systematics
Sub-stem : Vertebrates (vertebrata)
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Pigeon birds (Columbiformes)
Family : Pigeons (Columbidae)
Genre : Indo-Pacific earth pigeons ( Alopecoenas )
Type : Ponape earth dove
Scientific name
Alopecoenas kubaryi
( Finsch , 1880)

The Ponape earth dove ( Alopecoenas kubaryi , syn .: Gallicolumba kubaryi ), also known as the Caroline dove, is a species of pigeon birds. It occurs exclusively on the island of Pohnpei (called Ponape until 1990) and the Chuuk archipelago . The Ponape pigeon is classified by the IUCN as endangered ( vulnerable ) because its range is very small and the numbers are declining due to deforestation and hunting. The total population is estimated to be less than 1000 individuals.

Appearance

The Ponape earth dove reaches a body length of 26 centimeters. It is thus slightly smaller than a laughing dove, but has the characteristic body shape of the earth pigeon. The ponape earth dove is very similar to the jobite dove . However, it has slightly longer legs than this species, which also belongs to the genus of the Indo-Pacific earth pigeons .

The male's head and chest are white. The back of the head, the neck and a line behind the eyes are black. The rest of the body plumage is black. The mantle and the wing covers have a shiny red-brown shimmer. The belly is black. The beak is a deep dark gray. The legs are red. Young birds are dark brown. The feathers still have orange-brown fringes.

Habitat, existence and way of life

The number of individuals in the Ponape earth dove has never been very high, at least in historical times. A few years ago the population of the Ponape earth dove was estimated at more than 1,000 individuals and was considered stable. The population on Pohnpei in 1983/1984 was 841 Ponape pigeons and on Chuuk there were 294 pigeons of this species in the same period. More recent population surveys, however, showed a significant population decline. On Pohnpei, the species only occurs in mangrove swamps .

The preferred habitat on Pohnpei are actually bushy ravines, forests of the lowlands and mangroves. In the forests of the interior of the country, ponape pigeons have always been rare. The ponape pigeon usually lives solitary. She looks for her food on the ground. The clutch consists of only one egg.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b BirdLife Factsheet , accessed October 28, 2014
  2. ↑ a b David Gibbs, Eustace Barnes and John Cox: Pigeons and Doves - A Guide to the Pigeons and Doves of the World . Pica Press, Sussex 2001, p. 406 ISBN 90-74345-26-3
  3. ↑ Gerhard Rösler: The wild pigeons of the earth - free life, keeping and breeding . M. & H. Schaper Verlag, Alfeld Hannover 1996, p. 237 ISBN 3-7944-0184-0

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 .
  • Alois Münst and Josef Wolters: Tauben - The species of wild pigeons , 2nd expanded and revised edition, Verlag Karin Wolters, Bottrop 1999, ISBN 3-9801504-9-6 .
  • Gerhard Rösler: The wild pigeons of the earth - free living, keeping and breeding . Verlag M. & H. Schaper, Alfeld Hannover 1996, ISBN 3-7944-0184-0 .

Web links