Pied imperial pigeon

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Pied imperial pigeon
Ducula bicolor - Chinese Garden.jpg
Pied imperial pigeon in Singapore.
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Columbiformes
Family: Columbidae
Genus: Ducula
Species:
D. bicolor
Binomial name
Ducula bicolor
(Scopoli, 1786)

The pied imperial pigeon (Ducula bicolor) is a relatively large, pied species of pigeon. It is found in forest, woodland, mangrove, plantations and scrub in Southeast Asia, ranging from Myanmar and Thailand, throughout Indonesia and east to the Philippines (where it is locally called as camasu and balud-puti) [2] and the Bird's Head Peninsula in New Guinea. It is mainly found on small islands and in coastal regions. [3] It remains locally common, and is therefore considered to be of least concern by BirdLife International and IUCN. [1]

Contents

Taxonomy

Pied imperial pigeon at the National Aviary. Notice the lack of black spotting to the undertail coverts. Pied Imperial-pigeon Ducula bicolor National Aviary 1300px.jpg
Pied imperial pigeon at the National Aviary. Notice the lack of black spotting to the undertail coverts.

Its taxonomy is confusing and remains unsettled. It has sometimes included the Torresian, yellowish and silver-tipped imperial pigeons as subspecies. [3] The widespread nominate subspecies of the pied imperial pigeon differs from all these by its plain white thighs and undertail coverts (though often with a dark spot at the very tip), and its narrowly dark-tipped bluish bill. For comparison, the other species' have black-spotted undertail coverts and thighs (spotting mainly near thighs in silver-tipped imperial pigeon), the bill of the Torresian imperial pigeon is greenish-yellow, and the bills of the yellowish and silver-tipped imperial pigeons are bluish at the base and yellowish at the tip. Furthermore, the yellowish imperial pigeon has a distinctive yellowish tinge to its plumage [3] (some pied imperial pigeons may also appear yellowish, but infrequently to the same extent), and the silver-tipped imperial pigeon has silvery-grey remiges. [4] However, the taxon melanura of the Moluccas, which usually is considered a subspecies of the pied imperial pigeon, resembles the Torresian imperial pigeon in bill, thighs and undertail coverts, but has a significantly broader black tail-tip. [4] Consequently, some have suggested it should be placed under the Torresian imperial pigeon, while others have suggested it should be considered an entirely separate species, D. melanura [4] (for which the name black imperial pigeon has been used – an unfortunate choice, as only the tail has significantly more black than the other members of this group, and the name black imperial pigeon usually has been used for D. melanochroa ). [5] Yet others have considered melanura to be invalid, instead believing it only is a morph of D. b. bicolor, as both types can be found on some islands. [4]

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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:

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The silver-tipped imperial pigeon, also known as the white imperial pigeon or white-tipped imperial pigeon, is a relatively large species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to forest, woodland and mangrove on Sulawesi and smaller nearby islands.

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

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

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.

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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.

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

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.

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

The Torresian imperial pigeon, also known as the nutmeg pigeon, white nutmeg pigeon, Australian pied imperial pigeon or Torres Strait pigeon, is a relatively large, pied species of pigeon. It is found in forest, woodland, savanna, mangrove and scrub in Australia, New Guinea, Aru Islands, islands in the Geelvink Bay, D'Entrecasteaux Islands and Louisiade Archipelago.

The yellowish imperial pigeon, also known as the yellow-tinted imperial pigeon or Bismarck imperial pigeon, is a relatively large species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to forest and woodland in the Bismarck Archipelago. It is threatened by habitat loss.

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The pied cuckoo-dove is a species of bird in the pigeon family, Columbidae. First described by English zoologist Philip Sclater in 1877, it is endemic to the Bismarck Archipelago, where it mainly inhabits lowland and hill forests at elevations of up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft). It is a large, distinctive pigeon, with a length of 40–46 cm (16–18 in) and a weight of 279–325 g (9.8–11.5 oz). Adults are mainly black and white. The heads and underparts are whitish, while the wings, tails, and upperparts are black. Both sexes look alike. Juveniles are mainly sooty-grey in colour.

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The pin-tailed green pigeon is a species of bird in the family Columbidae native to Southeast Asia.

References

  1. 1 2 BirdLife International (2020). "Ducula bicolor". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T22691799A181754396. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22691799A181754396.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. Kennedy, Robert (2000-09-21). A Guide to the Birds of the Philippines. OUP Oxford. ISBN   9780198546689.
  3. 1 2 3 Baptista, L. F., P. W. Trail, & H. M. Horblit (1997). Family Columbidae (Pigeons and Dovexs). pp. 60-243 in: del Hoya, J., A. Elliott, & J. Sargatal. eds. (1997). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 4. Sangrouse to Cuckoos. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. ISBN   84-87334-22-9
  4. 1 2 3 4 Coates, B. J., & K. D. Bishop (1997). A Guide to the Birds of Wallacea. Dove Publications Pty. Ltd. ISBN   0-9590257-3-1
  5. Gill, F., M. Wright, & D. Donsker (2009). IOC World Bird Names. Version 2.1. Accessed 03-07-2009