Philippine green pigeon

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Philippine green pigeon
PhilippineGreenPigeon1.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Columbiformes
Family: Columbidae
Genus: Treron
Species:
T. axillaris
Binomial name
Treron axillaris
(Bonaparte, 1855)

The Philippine green pigeon (Treron axillaris) is a pigeon in the genus Treron . It is endemic to the Philippines where it lives in the tropical moist lowland forests. It is part of the pompadour green pigeon complex which it was once conspecific with.

Contents

Description and taxonomy

Described on Ebird as "A medium-sized pigeon of lowland and foothill forest canopy, with green underparts, head, and rump, a gray crown, yellow wingbars and edges to the flight feathers, a whitish belly, and white under the base of the tail. Note the whitish bill with a reddish base and the blue eyes. Male has a maroon shoulder and back, where the female is green. Similar to Thick-billed Green-Pigeon, but Philippine has a thinner bill and lacks the green skin around the eye. Female resembles female Pink-necked Green-Pigeon, but that species has yellow marks only on the edge of the wing. Voice is typical of green-pigeons, including a rising-and-falling out-of-tune whistled song." [2]

It was previously conspecific the Pompadour green pigeon species complex but is differentiated by the red cere on base of bill, larger bill, bluish-grey legs and feet , blackish-grey carpal area and white undertail-coverts. [3]

Subspecies

Four subspecies are recognized.

Ecology and behavior

Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum (1893 - 1893) Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum (1893 - 1893) (19955827634) (cropped).jpg
Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum (1893 - 1893)

It is a frugivore.The Philippine green pigeon usually occurs singly or in small groups. Forms large flocks, even with other Pink-necked green pigeon to feed on fruiting trees. Its flight is fast and direct, with the regular beats and an occasional sharp flick of the wings that are characteristic of pigeons in general.

Breeding mainly occurs in May to June, which is generally the breeding time for Philippine forest birds. It builds a stick nest in a tree and lays two white eggs. [3]

Habitat and conservation status

Its natural habitat is moist tropical primary forest up to 1,000 meters above sea level.

The IUCN has classified the species as least concern with the population to be declining due to deforestation from land conversion, Illegal logging and slash-and-burn farming. This species also experiences hunting pressure for both meat and the pet trade. It is now probably extripated on Cebu, while it is still reported on EBird it may be possibly misidentified Pink-necked green pigeon.

It is found in multiple protected areas such as Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape in Bohol and Samar Island Natural Park but actual protection and Mount Banahaw, Mount Makiling, Mount Isarog, Bataan National Park and Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park on Luzon but like all areas in the Philippines, protection is lax and deforestation and hunting continues despite this protection on paper. [4]

Related Research Articles

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The pompadour green pigeon is a pigeon species complex. It is widespread in forests of southern and southeast Asia. Many authorities have split the pompadour green pigeon into multiple species, which are listed below:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pink-bellied imperial pigeon</span> Species of bird

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wallace's fruit dove</span> Species of pigeon endemic to Indonesia

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue-crowned racket-tail</span> Species of bird

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippine tailorbird</span> Species of bird

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grey imperial pigeon</span> Species of bird

The grey imperial pigeon is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is found in the Sulu Archipelago, Miangas and Talaud Islands. It is a small island specialist where its natural habitats are tropical moist lowland forests and plantations. It is threatened by habitat loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pale mountain pigeon</span> Species of bird in the Solomon Islands

The pale mountain pigeon is a species of bird in the pigeon family Columbidae. It is endemic to the Solomon Islands archipelago, where it inhabits old-growth and secondary montane forest. It is a medium-size pigeon with an average length of 38 cm (15 in) and a weight of 310–385 g (10.9–13.6 oz). The head and neck are whitish-grey, the belly and lower breast are buffy-pink, and the vent and undertail coverts are pale grey. The upperparts are smoky-grey with darker fringes on the mantle and wing coverts. Both sexes look similar, but there can be large variation in individual appearance.

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Treron is a genus of bird in the pigeon family Columbidae. Its members are commonly called green pigeons. The genus is distributed across Asia and Africa. This genus contains 30 species, remarkable for their green coloration, hence the common name, which comes from a carotenoid pigment in their diet. Green pigeons have diets of various fruits, nuts, and/or seeds. They dwell in trees and occupy a variety of wooded habitats. Members of this genus can be further grouped into species with long tails, medium-length tails, and wedge-shaped tails. Most species of green pigeon display sexual dimorphism, where males and females can be readily distinguished by different colored plumage.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grey-throated sunbird</span> Species of bird

The grey-throated sunbird is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae. It is found in a wide range of semi-open wooded habitats in the northern and eastern part of the Philippines. It is often considered a subspecies of the brown-throated sunbird, but the two differ consistently in measurements and plumage, and there is no evidence of intergradation between them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grey-fronted green pigeon</span> Species of bird

The grey-fronted green pigeon is a pigeon in the genus Treron. It is found in the forests of the Western Ghats in India. Many authorities have split the species from the pompadour green pigeon complex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maroon-naped sunbird</span> Species of bird

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References

  1. BirdLife International (2016). "Treron axillaris". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22726291A94917334. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22726291A94917334.en . Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. "Philippine Green-Pigeon - eBird". ebird.org. Retrieved 2024-09-07.
  3. 1 2 3 del Hoyo, Josep; Collar, Nigel; Kirwan, Guy M. (2020). "Philippine Green-Pigeon (Treron axillaris), version 1.0". Birds of the World. doi:10.2173/bow.pomgrp1.01. ISSN   2771-3105.
  4. IUCN (2016-10-01). Treron axillaris: BirdLife International: The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T22726291A94917334 (Report). International Union for Conservation of Nature. doi:10.2305/iucn.uk.2016-3.rlts.t22726291a94917334.en.

Works cited