Hawk pigeon
| Hawk pigeon | ||||||||||
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Hawk pigeon ( Geopelia striata ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Geopelia striata | ||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1766) |
The hawk pigeon ( Geopelia striata ), very often also called hawk pigeons and occasionally also zebra pigeons, is a species of pigeon birds. It occurs in Southeast Asia and is considered not to be endangered in terms of its population.
Appearance
The hawk-pigeon reaches a body length of 21 to 23 centimeters and weighs fifty to sixty grams. It is therefore somewhat larger than the diamond pigeon and also a little more compact. There is no gender dimorphism. The females tend to be built more gracefully. The eye ring is a little more pronounced and wider in the male.
The top of the body is light gray-brown. The elytra are gray. The feathers have black seams, so that the species is finely sparred on the upper side of the body. The sparrowth is also found on the sides of the neck, the chest and the flanks. In contrast, it is missing in the middle of the chest, which is gray-pink. The beak is bluish at the base and ends with a gray-brown tip. The iris is light gray. The dark circles are bluish. The feet are flesh-colored.
distribution and habitat
The hawk-pigeon has a very large distribution area. This ranges from Thailand , Burma and Malaysia to Singapore , Sumatra , Java , Bali , Lombok and East Timor . The species is also introduced in northern Laos , the Philippines , Sulawesi , Salavar, Ambon , Borneo , Mauritius and the Seychelles . Hawaii and Tahiti are among the islands on which the hawk-pigeon has spread widely since its introduction . The species is usually very numerous in its range. On Java and Bali, the sparrow-pigeon was caught in such quantities for trade that it is now rare there.
The hawk pigeon lives in open terrain with bushes and a few trees. In many places this pigeon species has developed into a pronounced cultural follower and occurs in gardens, parks and on plantations. It becomes very trusting and often looks for food in close proximity to people.
behavior
Sparrow pigeons usually appear in pairs or in small groups. Where there is plenty of food, there can also be larger accumulations. The species only eats on the ground. The food consists of seeds. Invertebrates are also eaten to a small extent.
The clutch consists of two white eggs. The breeding season is 13 days. The young birds leave the nest when they are around 12 days old. The feather fringes are not yet very pronounced in juvenile plumage. Overall, they are a little more brownish than the adult pigeons. The development of the adult plumage is completed in about three months.
Keeping in human care
After the diamond pigeon belonging to the same genus, the hawk pigeon is the most common species of the Indo-Australian small pigeons that is kept in human care. It was shown in the Berlin Zoo as early as 1845. A breed is documented in France in 1868. It is possible that this species was bred with this species before in the Netherlands. The species was imported very frequently to Europe until 1998.
supporting documents
Individual evidence
- ↑ Rösler, p. 175
- ^ Colin R. Trainor and Thomas Soares: Birds of Atauro Island, Timor-Leste (East Timor) , Forktail 20 (2004), pp. 41-48
- ↑ Münst, p. 107
- ↑ Rösler, p. 175
- ↑ Münst, p. 107
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 types 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
- Geopelia striata inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2013.