| Grey-headed imperial pigeon | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Columbiformes |
| Family: | Columbidae |
| Genus: | Ducula |
| Species: | D. radiata |
| Binomial name | |
| Ducula radiata | |
The grey-headed imperial pigeon (Ducula radiata) is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to Sulawesi in Indonesia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
The grey-headed imperial pigeon is a moderate-sized imperial pigeon with a long tail and a total length of about 38 cm (15 in). The head and underparts are grey and the hind neck is black, while the upper parts are metallic green, glossed on the mantle and scapulars with brownish-crimson. The tail is dark in colour with a narrow and inconspicuous band of pale grey near the base. The iris is orange, the beak is olive-green with a black tip or black all over, and the legs are purplish-red. The rather similar white-bellied imperial pigeon (Ducula forsteni) is larger and more heavily built, and has a broader band of grey on the tail; this is more centrally located and conspicuous. [2]
The grey-headed imperial pigeon is endemic to the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. [1] It is mostly a bird of montane forests, generally found at altitudes of between 1,100 and 2,400 m (3,600 and 7,900 ft), but sometimes frequents the foothills at lower elevations. Its typical habitat is primary forests but it is also found in secondary growth forest and woodland edges. [2]
The grey-headed imperial pigeon is most often seen in pairs or alone, but outside the breeding season may form small flocks of up to twenty birds. It has a fast, direct flight and can sometimes be seen flying high above the forest canopy. [2] Like other imperial pigeons, it feeds on fruit which it picks from the branches of trees, scrambling about acrobatically in the canopy; it swallows the fruits whole and thus serves a role in the distribution of their seeds. [3] Nests have been found in December and March, so the breeding season may be long. A single egg is laid in a cliff-ledge nest, in a hole in a tree or in a sheltered niche. [2]
The grey-headed imperial pigeon is a somewhat uncommon bird but it has a widespread distribution and the population is thought to be stable, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as "least concern". [1]
The pink-bellied imperial pigeon, also known as the zone-tailed pigeon, is found in the Philippines. It is a large fruit-eating bird reaching sizes of up to 42cm long.
The Christmas imperial pigeon or Christmas Island imperial pigeon, also known as Black imperial pigeon, Dusky imperial pigeon, Wharton's imperial pigeon, or burong pergam, is a large imperial pigeon endemic to Christmas Island in the northeastern Indian Ocean. It has an overall grey-blue colouration, and juveniles are duller than adults. It makes a soft purring coo sound and a deeper whoo sound comparable to a cow mooing. It lays one glossy white egg per brood, and is possibly somewhat colonial.
The Polynesian imperial pigeon or Society Islands pigeon is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to French Polynesia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Ducula is a genus of the pigeon family Columbidae, collectively known as imperial pigeons. They are large to very large pigeons with a heavy build and medium to long tails. They are arboreal, feed mainly on fruit and are closely related to the other genus of fruit-eating doves, Ptilinopus. Both genera display brightly coloured plumage, predominantly green, often with contrasting under-parts of purple, orange or red. Some Ducula have prominently swollen ceres. They have large gapes and swallow seeds whole, playing an important role in seed dispersal.
The mountain imperial pigeon, also known as the maroon-backed imperial pigeon or Hodgson's imperial pigeon, is a species of bird in the pigeon and dove family with a wide range in southeastern Asia.
The Vanuatu imperial pigeon or Baker's imperial pigeon is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to Vanuatu and lives in forests. It is threatened by forest clearing, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as a vulnerable species.
The chestnut-bellied imperial pigeon is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to the southern Solomon Islands.
The white-bellied imperial pigeon is a species of bird in the pigeon family Columbidae. First described by the French ornithologist Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1854, it is endemic to Indonesia, where it is found on Sulawesi, Buton, Taliabu, Togian, and Peleng. It inhabits primary forest, dense secondary forest, and isolated areas of hill forest. A large pigeon with a long tail, it measures 42.5–51.5 cm (16.7–20.3 in) long and weighs 510 g (18 oz) on average. Males are mainly green, with pale-grey heads and bellies, chestnut vents, and a pale grey tail band, along with a red orbital ring. Females are nearly identical, but have darker grey areas in their plumage.
The goliath imperial pigeon, also known as the New Caledonian imperial pigeon and the notou, is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to New Caledonia. Its natural habitat is humid forests. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as a near-threatened species.
The barking imperial pigeon, also known as Peale's imperial pigeon, is a species of bird in the pigeon family Columbidae. It is endemic to Fiji, where it occurs on most of the medium and large islands.
The black imperial pigeon, also known as the Bismarck imperial pigeon, is a species of bird in the pigeon family, Columbidae. First described by English zoologist Philip Sclater in 1878, it is endemic to the Bismarck Archipelago, where it mainly inhabits rainforest and cloud forest in mountain areas above 500 m (1,600 ft). It is a large, heavily-built imperial pigeon, with a length of 38–43 cm (15–17 in) and a weight of 661–665 g (23.3–23.5 oz). Adults are almost entirely black, except for the dark chestnut undertail coverts, the silvery-grey underside of the tail, and a pale grey scaly pattern on the wings and back. Both sexes look alike. Juveniles differ from adults in having paler undertail coverts.
The Mindoro imperial pigeon, also known as Mindoro zone-tailed pigeon, Great Mindoro pigeon or Pink-throated Imperial pigeon, is a bird species in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to the mountains of Mindoro in central Philippines and is the largest pigeon in the country reaching 50cm in length.
The Micronesian imperial pigeon, also known as the Micronesian pigeon, and Belochel is a species of bird in the family Columbidae (doves). It is found in Palau, the Caroline Islands, the Marshall Islands and Nauru. Its habitats include montane forests, secondary forests, forests on beaches, and mangroves. It is threatened by hunting and deforestation, and the IUCN has assessed it as a near-threatened species.
The Pacific imperial pigeon, Pacific pigeon, Pacific fruit pigeon or lupe is a widespread pigeon species in the family Columbidae. It is found in American Samoa, the Cook Islands, the smaller islands of eastern Fiji, Kiribati, Niue, the smaller satellite islands of Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Wallis and Futuna Islands.
The spectacled imperial pigeon is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to the Maluku Islands.
The grey imperial pigeon is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is found in the Sulu Archipelago, Miangas and Talaud Islands. Its natural habitats are tropical moist lowland forests and plantations. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The island imperial pigeon or floury imperial pigeon is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is found in the Bismarck Archipelago and the Solomon Islands archipelago, living in primary and secondary forests and mangroves. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as a least-concern species.
The Matinan blue flycatcher, also known as the Matinan flycatcher, is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is endemic to the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, and the species is threatened by habitat loss.
The red-bellied grackle is a species of bird in the family Icteridae. Its genus, Hypopyrrhus, is monotypic.
The Malabar imperial pigeon or Nilgiri imperial pigeon is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to the Western Ghats of India.
