Red-tailed fruit pigeon

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Red-tailed fruit pigeon
Redtail fruit pigeons at London Zoo

Redtail fruit pigeons at London Zoo

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Pigeon birds (Columbiformes)
Family : Pigeons (Columbidae)
Genre : Large fruit pigeons ( Ducula )
Type : Red-tailed fruit pigeon
Scientific name
Ducula rufigaster
( Quoy & Gaimard , 1830)

The red-tailed fruit pigeon ( Ducula rufigaster ), also known as the rust-bellied fruit pigeon , is a type of pigeon bird that is one of the fruit pigeons . It occurs in New Guinea and neighboring islands. There are two subspecies.

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

Appearance

The red-tailed fruit pigeon reaches a body length of about 35 centimeters. It is something as big as a medium-sized domestic pigeon, but built a little more compact. The tail accounts for 10 to 21 centimeters. The weight is between 410 and 580 grams. There is no noticeable gender dimorphism . The females are just slightly smaller and darker than the males.

The head and throat are grayish pink. Towards the chest and the flanks, the color changes into a strong, gold-shining cinnamon tone. The belly and the underside of the tail are light brown. The back neck and the upper part of the coat are blue-gray. The rest of the coat, the back and the rump are purple-red and have an iridescent sheen. The wings of the hand are deep dark green. The short tail is half covered by the purple upper tail covers. The tail is dark brown with a greenish to bronze tinge, the last third is gray. The tail end is rounded.

The iris is red, the dark circles under the eyes are dark red and the feet and legs are purple.

Possible confusion

In the distribution area of ​​the red-tailed fruit pigeon, the red-bellied mountain pigeon belonging to the same genus also occurs. The two species colonize different habitats, the red-bellied mountain pigeon is usually found at higher altitudes than the red-tailed fruit pigeon. The red-bellied mountain pigeon also has a grayer head. The rump and the upper tail-coverts are like the back of this species metallic green.

Distribution area and habitat

The distribution area of ​​the red-tailed fruit pigeon is New Guinea and the neighboring islands. It occurs on Misool , Salawati , Batanta , Waigeo and Yapen , among others .

The Ducula rufigaster uropygialis , occasionally described as a subspecies in addition to the nominate form, inhabits northern New Guinea and the island of Yapen. It is still disputed to what extent it is actually a subspecies or just a kline .

The redtail fruit pigeon is a species of forest pigeon. It occurs predominantly in dense, evergreen rainforests in the lowlands. It can also be found on the edge of the forest along savannahs. It usually stays below 600 meters. You can also meet them locally in the lower mountain regions at altitudes of up to 1200 meters.

Way of life

The red-tailed fruit pigeon lives mostly solitary. It is a shy and secretly living pigeon that lives mainly in the dense foliage of the lower and middle summit area. Even during the flight it tries to stay in the treetop area and only rarely flies forests at great heights. The way of life of the red-tailed fruit pigeon has not yet been studied in great detail. Since the populations in the individual regions are stable all year round, it is obviously not a nomadic migrant species.

The red-tailed fruit pigeon lives mainly on fruits and is occasionally associated with other bird species when foraging.

So far nothing is known about the reproductive biology of 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 : Red-tailed fruit pigeon ( Ducula rufigaster )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Ducula rufigaster in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2016 Posted by: BirdLife International, 2016. Retrieved on October 10, 2017th
  2. ↑ a b c Gibbs, Barnes and Cox: Pigeons and Doves , p. 553.
  3. ^ Gibbs, Barnes and Cox: Pigeons and Doves , p. 552.