Bolle's pigeon
Bolle's pigeon | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Columbiformes |
Family: | Columbidae |
Genus: | Columba |
Species: | C. bollii
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Binomial name | |
Columba bollii Godman, 1872
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Bolle's pigeon, Bolle's laurel pigeon or dark-tailed laurel pigeon (Columba bollii) is a species of the genus
Description
Larger than the common pigeon, a length of 36 cm to 38 cm. It is a large dark grey pigeon. At 37–40 cm, it looks like a very dark wood pigeon. Its dark grey, rather than brown, plumage and the dark bands on the grey tail distinguish it from the other pigeon endemic to the Canary Islands, the laurel pigeon. It is a basically dark grey bird, with a pinkish breast. It lacks any white markings, which together with its darker plumage distinguishes it from the other species.
With red beak, most intense at the tip. Head relatively large, slate gray, in males, with bluish or greenish metallic side of the neck and back of neck. Eyes rounded, yellow to orange with black pupil and lightly framed by a thin, flesh-colored eye ring. Back, rump and wings brownish gray, which in adult males with metallic blue shoulders. The primary and secondary remiges are blackish brown. The chest, blue-dark gray, stained purple in males. Belly is pale gray pastel. Females, less conspicuous, do not hold the highlights, reflections and metallic hues, and even the colors are more 'gray' and off.
Mainly dark grey with blacker flight feathers and paler grey tail with dark terminal band, hindneck with green and pink gloss and reddish tinge to breast. Only likely to be confused with white-tailed laurel pigeon Columba junoniae or dark feral pigeon. The voice is a guttural mournful cooing. Hints: Look for birds flying low and fast over laurel forest. Its flight is quick, performed by regular beats, with an occasional sharp flick of the wings, characteristic of pigeons in general. It takes off with a loud clattering.
Ecology
Breeding occurs in trees especially in February–June. The nest, somewhat more elaborate than those of other pigeons, is built on the upper branches of a tree, with pieces of sticks and twigs, forming the classic platform, which is usually lined with mosses and lichens briefly. It lays one or two eggs. The egg hatch after a shared incubation of eighteen days. Frugivore which eat drupes or fruits of canary bay (Laurus azorica), Madeira mahogany (Persea indica), (Ocotea foetens) and fayanuts of Myrica faya but can consume alternately diverse continental cultives, sweet acorns, hazelnuts, other nuts, berries...
Distribution and population
It is a resident breeder in the mountain
In 2007, the species was estimated by SEO Sociedad Española de Ornitología, BirdLife in Spain to number 5,000-20,000 individuals.
It occurs in dense laurel forest in mountainous areas, especially in ravines; also in heath of Myrica faya and Erica arborea, and sometimes in rather open areas, e.g. cultivation. It spends the hottest part of the day in deep shade. It feeds mainly on fruit but also takes grain and occasionally buds, leaves and shoots. It will gather in large concentrations on fruiting trees, plucking berries from the tree but also feeding on the ground. It makes some altitudinal movements to take advantage of ripe cereals and fruit at lower elevations in late summer.
Threats Historical declines resulted from intensive exploitation of laurel forests. The extent of
The natural habitat is tall
It was very abundant when the islands were first colonised by humans, but was extirpated. The losses on the islands were largely due to deforestation for wood and to create agricultural and grazing land.
The exclusion of livestock from the native forest allows it to regenerate and create more suitable habitat. Some illegal hunting and poisoning continues because of the damage this pigeon can do to crops. Perhaps the main limiting factor on the rate at which the pigeon increases its numbers is eggs and young being taken by introduced
Taxonomy
The genus
The Atlantic archipelagos of the
The Trocaz pigeon was formally described in 1829 by Karl Heineken. He recognised it as different from the now-extinct local form of the Madeiran wood pigeon a sub-species of the common wood pigeon. This is a monotypic species, although in the past the canarian Bolle's pigeon was sometimes regarded as a subspecies of the Trocaz pigeon.[7]
References
- ^ . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ a b Snow (1998) p. 848.
- ^ Hartert, E (1912–21). Die Vögel der paläarktischen Fauna. Volume 2 (in German). Berlin: H. Friedlander & Sohn. p. 1480.
- ^ Gibbs (2000) p. 175.
- ^ "Madeira". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 20 July 2010
- S2CID 24740854.
- ^ Martin, A (1985). "Première observation du pigeon Trocaz (Columba trocaz bollii) à l'Ile de Hierro (Iles Canaries)". Alauda (in French). 53 (2): 137–140.