Scaly neck pigeon

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Scaly neck pigeon
Scaly neck pigeon

Scaly neck pigeon

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Pigeon birds (Columbiformes)
Family : Pigeons (Columbidae)
Genre : American pigeons ( Patagioenas )
Type : Scaly neck pigeon
Scientific name
Patagioenas fasciata
( Say , 1823)

The band-tailed pigeon ( Patagioenas fasciata , Syn. : Columba fasciata ), also tying pigeon or binding tail pigeon called, is one in the New World spread pigeon .

distribution

It lives in the highlands on the western edge of the American double continent and moves to the coastal plains in winter. Their distribution ranges from British Columbia , Utah and Colorado through Mexico and Central America to northern Argentina . She is one of the partial trainers .

The form distributed south of Costa Rica is sometimes considered as a separate species Patagioenas albilinea .

External features

The scallop pigeon is the largest species of pigeon in North America. It becomes 35 to 39 cm long and weighs 250 to 450 grams. It corresponds to the size of a city pigeon. There is no gender dimorphism.

The plumage is gray and a little darker on top. The head and lower parts have a pink tinge, especially the males. The belly is quite light. The bill and legs are yellow, but the tip of the beak is black. Adults have a green, shimmering, scaly field on the back of the neck, and a thin white band over it. Most subspecies have a dark transverse band across the tail.

behavior

The scaly-necked pigeon feeds mainly on seeds. It finds its food mainly on the ground. The food spectrum includes the seeds of maple and pine, berries such as elderberries and fruits such as wild grapes and wild cherries, as well as insects. She has a particular preference for acorns. An acorn-fed pigeon can lead to large concentrations of these pigeons. The wild pigeon breeder Alois Münst reports that a hunter shot 280 scallop pigeons under a single oak in one day.

The clutch of the scallop pigeon consists of an egg. The incubation period is 18 to 19 days. The young birds fledge after four to five weeks. Outside of the breeding season, they often form flocks of up to fifty animals.

supporting documents

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Rösler: The wild pigeons of the earth - free life, keeping and breeding.

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 .
  • Alois Münst, Josef Wolters: Pigeons - The types of wild pigeons. 2nd expanded and revised edition. Karin Wolters Verlag, 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 links

Commons : Scaled- neck pigeon ( Patagioenas fasciata )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files