Sri Lanka wood pigeon | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Columbiformes |
Family: | Columbidae |
Genus: | Columba |
Species: | C. torringtoniae |
Binomial name | |
Columba torringtoniae (Kelaart, 1853) | |
Synonyms | |
Columba torringtoni |
The Sri Lankan wood pigeon or Ceylon wood pigeon (Columba torringtoniae) is a pigeon which is an endemic resident breeding bird in the mountains of Sri Lanka.
This species nests in damp evergreen woodlands in the central highlands, building a stick nest in a tree and laying a single white egg. Its flight is quick, with the regular beats and an occasional sharp flick of the wings which are characteristic of pigeons in general. Most of its food is vegetable. Normally silent it utters an owl-like hoo call in the breeding season.
The Sri Lanka wood pigeon is 36 cm in length. Its upperparts and tail are dark grey, and the head and underparts are lilac, becoming paler on the belly. There is a black-and-white chessboard pattern on the nape.
This pigeon can be quite easily seen in the woods of the Horton Plains National Park.
The Sri Lanka wood pigeon is endemic to the island of Sri Lanka, where it is found in primary montane forest, generally above 3,000 ft (910 m). [2]
This wood-pigeon in a 25c Sri Lankan postal stamp. [3]
The common wood pigeon, also known as simply wood pigeon, is a large species in the dove and pigeon family (Columbidae), native to the western Palearctic. It belongs to the genus Columba, which includes closely related species such as the rock dove. It has a flexible diet, predominantly feeding on vegetable matter, including cereal crops, leading to them being regarded as an agricultural pest. Wood pigeons are extensively hunted over large parts of their range, but this does not seem to have a great impact on their population.
The Sri Lanka whistling thrush is a whistling thrush in the family Muscicapidae. It is a resident endemic bird in Sri Lanka.
The Sri Lanka blue magpie or Ceylon magpie is a brightly coloured member of the family Corvidae, found exclusively in Sri Lanka. This species is adapted to hunting in the dense canopy, where it is highly active and nimble. Its flight is rather weak, though, and is rarely used to cover great distances. In spite of the Sri Lanka blue magpie's ability to adapt to the presence of humans, it is classified as vulnerable to extinction due to the fragmentation and destruction of its habitat of dense primary forest in the wet zone of southern Sri Lanka.
The plain prinia, also known as the plain wren-warbler or white-browed wren-warbler, is a small cisticolid warbler found in southeast Asia. It is a resident breeder from Pakistan and India to south China and southeast Asia. It was formerly included in the tawny-flanked prinia, resident in Africa south of the Sahara. The two are now usually considered to be separate species.
The jungle prinia is a small passerine bird, a warbler in the family Cisticolidae.
The chestnut-backed owlet, is an owl which is endemic to Sri Lanka. This species is a part of the larger grouping of owls known as typical owls, Strigidae, which contains most of the smaller owl species. This species was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the jungle owlet.
Layard's parakeet is a parrot which is a resident endemic breeder in Sri Lanka. The common name of this bird commemorates the British naturalist Edgar Leopold Layard; his first wife, Barbara Anne Calthrop, whom he married in 1845, is commemorated in the specific epithet.
The Sri Lanka hanging parrot is a small parrot which is a resident endemic breeder in Sri Lanka.
The vernal hanging parrot is a small parrot which is a resident breeder in the Indian subcontinent and some other areas of Southeast Asia. It undergoes local movements, driven mainly by the availability of the fruit, seeds, buds and blossoms that make up its diet. They frequent the banyan tree for the fruit and plantain trees for the nectar from the flowers.
The emerald dove or common emerald dove, also called Asian emerald dove and grey-capped emerald dove, is a widespread resident breeding pigeon native to the tropical and subtropical parts of the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. The dove is also known by the names of green dove and green-winged pigeon. The common emerald dove is the state bird of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The Pacific emerald dove and Stephan's emerald dove were both considered conspecific.
The yellow-eared bulbul is a species of songbird in the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is an endemic resident breeder in the highlands of Sri Lanka. The common name is also used as an alternate name for the yellow-throated bulbul.
The orange-billed babbler, also known as Ceylon rufous babbler or Sri Lankan rufous babbler, is a member of the family Leiothrichidae.
The ashy-headed laughingthrush is a member of the family Leiothrichidae. The laughingthrushes are a large family of Old World passerine birds characterised by soft fluffy plumage. These are birds of tropical areas, with the greatest variety in southeast Asia.
The brown-capped babbler is a member of the family Pellorneidae.
The Sri Lanka hill myna, Ceylon myna or is a myna, a member of the starling family. This bird is endemic to Sri Lanka.
The dull-blue flycatcher is a small passerine bird in the flycatcher family, Muscicapidae. It was previously included in the genus Muscicapa.
Legge's flowerpecker or the white-throated flowerpecker, is a small passerine bird. It is an endemic resident breeder in Sri Lanka. It is named after the Australian ornithologist William Vincent Legge.
The trocaz pigeon, Madeira laurel pigeon or long-toed pigeon is a pigeon which is endemic to the island of Madeira, Portugal. It is a mainly grey bird with a pinkish breast; its silvery neck patch and lack of white wing markings distinguish it from its close relative and probable ancestor, the common wood pigeon. Its call is a characteristic six-note cooing, weaker and lower-pitched than that of the wood pigeon. Despite its bulky, long-tailed appearance, this pigeon has a fast, direct flight.
The Sri Lanka spurfowl is a member of the pheasant family which is endemic to the dense rainforests of Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka, this bird is known as haban kukula - හබන් කුකුලා in Sinhala.
The speckled wood pigeon, also known as Hodgson's pigeon or Jungle pigeon, is a medium-sized pigeon of the bird family Columbidae and genus Columba. It is a monotypic species. It measures 38-40 cm in length, with males featuring a pale gray head and females having a grayish-brown head. Males have a distinctive pinkish-silver breast speckled with black spots and a maroon belly, while females exhibit less vibrant coloration. Both sexes have blackish-brown tails and primaries, iris color differs slightly. The species is distributed across the Himalayas extending from Kashmir to western and central China, as well as parts of India, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, and Afghanistan. Inhabiting evergreen and semi-evergreen hill forests at elevations of 1,800-4,000 meters, descend in winter based on food availability. Diet consists mainly of acrons, berries, and fruits, typically foraging in small flocks. Breeding occurs from May to August, with nests situated 3-8 meters above ground.