Scale bellied pigeon
| Scale bellied pigeon | ||||||||||
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Pigeon pigeon, Itatiba Zooparque, Brazil |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Patagioenas speciosa | ||||||||||
| ( Gmelin , 1789) |
The shed abdominal Taube ( Patagioenas speciosa , Syn. : Colomba speciosa ), also superb dove called, is a species within the genus of the American box pigeons . It is a large, compactly built pigeon that is found in tropical Central and South America. The species is monotypical: Despite the large distribution area, no subspecies are distinguished. It is named after the underside of the body of this pigeon, which appears to be scaled by narrowly lined feathers.
The pigeon population was classified in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2016 as “ Least Concern (LC) ” = “not endangered”.
features
Scale belly pigeons reach a body length between 26 and 34 centimeters and are thus slightly smaller than the average city pigeon . The sexual dimorphism is different from most American field pigeons a little more pronounced. Adult scale bellied pigeons weigh between 225 and 350 grams. In the males, the head is dark chestnut brown, the neck plumage shines purple and greenish with white end spots. There is also a maroon-brown spot on the lower neck. The chest and stomach are light with violet-brown feather trims, so that the underside of the body looks scaly. The under tail-coverts are light with gray edges. On the upper side of the body, the mantle and the back as well as the wing covers are red-brown. The tail feathers are dark brown to black brown. The beak is bright red and brightens to a yellow or horn-colored tone towards the tip of the beak. The iris is dark purple, the orbital ring is dark red and becomes more intense during the breeding period.
The females are generally duller in color, the head is more olive brown. The neck and chest also appear scaled due to the feather hems, but the purple and green shimmering tones of the male are missing. The feathers on the abdomen are paler so that the dandruff effect is not as intense.
The pigeon pigeon's calls are a slow cuuuu-ca cuooooo that is repeated several times.
Possible confusion
Due to the scale pattern on the neck and underside of the body, the species can only be confused if it is observed from a distance or in flight.
From a distance there is a resemblance to the purple pigeon and the wine pigeon , whose plumage also looks more uniform from a distance than that of the scale- bellied pigeon . The short-billed pigeon is darker and also has more evenly colored plumage.
Distribution area and habitat
The range of the pigeon pigeon stretches from southeast Mexico over Central America and Ecuador as well as Colombia to northern Argentina and the east of Peru and Bolivia. Trinidad is the only Caribbean island where this pigeon species occurs.
In southeastern Mexico and in Honduras, the elevation ranges from the lowlands to altitudes of 900 meters. In Costa Rica and Panama it can also be found at altitudes of 1200 meters. In South America it is typically below 1000 meters above sea level.
The scallop-bellied pigeon is a forest dweller, but is also found on the edges of forests and in clearings of tropical rainforests. It is also observed in savannahs that still have a part of the forest. It tolerates a fragmentation of its habitat and seems to be increasingly populating secondary forests in some regions of its range.
Way of life
The scale bellied pigeon is mainly found in the foliage of tall trees and prefers those trees that are overgrown with creepers. Field observations are therefore comparatively rare. It is most likely to be spotted when it flies from one tree top to another. In its entire distribution area it is a rather rare pigeon, whose presence is most likely to be noticed by its reputation. She lives in pairs or in small groups.
Their food spectrum consists of fruits and berries that they find in the treetop area. Scale-bellied pigeons only come to the ground occasionally to ingest grit or to drink.
During courtship flight, the male flies up from his raised hide with just one flap of its wings and then returns to its raised hide in a semicircle flight. In Costa Rica the scale bellied pigeon breeds from February to May, in Bolivia breeding scale bellied pigeons have also been observed in May. The nest is a loose platform made of branches that is erected high in trees. It is usually well hidden between creepers. The clutch usually consists of only one egg. However, clutches with two eggs are found again and again and this seems to be the typical clutch size in Trinidad. The breeding season is 16 to 17 days.
attitude
The first scale bellied pigeons were introduced to Europe in 1868 by the London Zoo . The imports remained rare, however, the first scale bellied pigeons in Germany were kept by the Berlin zoo in 1915.
Breeding with scalloped pigeons is extremely difficult. The world first breeding in captivity was not achieved until 1961 by a Californian breeder.
literature
- David Gibbs, Eustace Barnes, 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
- Patagioenas speciosa in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2012. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2012. Accessed September 28, 2016th
- Voice of the pigeon on Xeno Canto
Single receipts
- ^ A b Gibbs, Barnes, Cox: Pigeons and Doves. P. 217.
- ↑ Patagioenas speciosa in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2016. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2016. Retrieved on 3 October 2017th
- ^ A b Gibbs, Barnes, Cox: Pigeons and Doves. P. 215.
- ↑ Scale bellied pigeon on Xeno Canto , accessed on September 28, 2016.
- ↑ a b c d Gibbs, Barnes, Cox: Pigeons and Doves. P. 216.
- ↑ Rösler: The wild pigeons of the earth - free life, keeping and breeding. P. 98.