Violet pigeon
| Violet pigeon | ||||||||||
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Violet pigeon ( Columba janthina ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Columba janthina | ||||||||||
| Temminck , 1830 |
The violet pigeon ( Columba janthina ), also called violet-headed pigeon or black forest pigeon , is a species of pigeon birds that belongs to the subfamily of Columbinae . It occurs on some Japanese islands.
Appearance
The violet pigeon reaches a body length of up to 43 centimeters. It reaches a body size that corresponds to the European wood pigeon . There is no gender dimorphism.
A characteristic of the violet pigeon is its long tail in relation to its size. The body plumage is predominantly soot-colored. Head and neck shimmer purple. The shimmer on the coat is bronze green. The beak is greenish. The iris is brown. Legs and feet are red.
Distribution, habitat and behavior
The violet pigeon inhabits the Japanese islands of Honshū , Oki Islands , Ryūkyū Islands , Okinawa and the adjacent islands, Ishigaki , Iriomote and Yonaguni , as well as Io-shoto and the Ogasawara Islands , all of which have a subtropical climate. The violet pigeon is a tree-dwelling species that is mainly found in old, evergreen forests. These forests have been increasingly cleared in recent decades, so that the population of the species is declining overall.
The food spectrum of the violet pigeon consists of seeds, buds and fruits. The seeds of various Camellia species play a special role in the diet of this pigeon species. The nest is built in tree hollows or in crevices in the rock. The clutch consists of only one egg. The breeding season mostly falls between February and September.
supporting documents
Individual evidence
literature
- Gerhard Rösler: The wild pigeons of the earth - free life, keeping and breeding , Verlag M. & H. Schaper, Alfeld-Hannover 1996, ISBN 3-7944-0184-0 .
- David Burnie (Ed.): Vögel , Munich 2008, Dorling Kindersley, ISBN 978-3-8310-1272-5 .
Web links
- Columba janthina inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2013.