Red ax pigeon
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Red ax pigeon ( Leptotila rufaxilla ) |
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| Leptotila rufaxilla | ||||||||||
| ( Richard & Bernard , 1792) |
The Gray-fronted dove ( Leptotila rufaxilla ) is a type of pigeon birds. It is also known in German as the gray-forehead dove . However, this name is not clear, because a species of the Indo-Pacific earth pigeon is also called that. There are several subspecies that are found exclusively in South America.
Appearance
The red ax pigeon reaches a body size of 27 centimeters and thus corresponds to the blue ring pigeon . The forehead is light gray. The plumage becomes a little darker on the top of the head. On the neck, the gray shade is washed over purple and shimmers slightly. The face is yellow-brown. The sides of the neck and chest are gray-pink. The top of the body is brownish olive. The mantle and the inner wing covers show a slight bronze-green shimmer.
Distribution area and habitat
The red ax pigeon has a very large distribution area that extends over a large part of the South American continent. It is absent in the west of the continent as well as in the south. It occurs from Colombia and Venezuela, Guyana, Trinidad and Brazil, the east of Peru and Bolivia to the north of Argentina and the east of Uruguay. It is a common species in parts of its range. Its altitude ranges from 600 meters above sea level in northern South America to 2,200 meters above sea level in southern Brazil.
Their habitat are humid and semi-humid tropical forests. It is a ground-dwelling species. It tolerates logging to a certain extent and also uses secondary forest where it borders on primary forest.
Way of life
The red ax pigeon is a resident bird. She is shy and inconspicuous. Even if it feels threatened, it is more likely to constantly seek protection in the undergrowth than to be discovered. It always stands very low. She lives mostly singly or in pairs. The food spectrum includes seeds, small fruits and insects. The breeding season varies depending on the location. In parts of the distribution area broods occur all year round. The clutch consists of one or two eggs. The breeding season is 12 days. The young birds fledge after 12 to 13 days.
Keeping in human care
The red ax pigeon was first shown at London Zoo in 1880. The pigeons can get very old if they are kept appropriately. A red ax pigeon kept in the Berlin zoo reached an age of 29 years.
supporting documents
Individual evidence
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 . M. & H. Schaper Verlag, Alfeld-Hannover 1996, ISBN 3-7944-0184-0 .
Web link
- Leptotila rufaxilla inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved January 4, 2014.