White-bellied green pigeon

White-bellied green pigeon
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Columbiformes
Family:	Columbidae
Genus:	Treron
Species:	T. sieboldii
Binomial name
Treron sieboldii (Temminck, 1835)
Synonyms
Columba sieboldii Siebold

The white-bellied green pigeon (Treron sieboldii), also known as Siebold's green pigeon, is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is found in East Asia, Russian Far East and Southeast Asia. ^[1] Its natural habitat is temperate forests.^{[ citation needed ]} Its population has increased significantly since 2000. ^[2]

White-bellied green pigeons in Ōiso, 2023

It is one of the few green pigeons that migrates.

Etymology

The species epithet is named after Phillip Franz von Siebold, a german naturalist and traveler.

Distribution and Habitat

White-bellied green pigeons are located in Japan, China and the most of East Asia and Southeast Asia, not to mention the Russian Far East. ^[1] In Japan, their population is found mainly in Hokkaido and the Ryukyu Islands. The pigeon population is also located in Taiwan and Orchid Island, in China at Hebei, the south of Shaanxi, the east of Sichuan, Fujian, Guizhou, Guangxi, Hainan and Hong Kong, but also in northern Thailand, Laos and Vietnam.

In winter, they migrate to China and overwinter there.

This pigeon is a forest dweller. It settles deciduous and mixed forests and prefers primary forests. In Japan, it exists in the forests of lowlands and in mountain forests.

Description

White-bellied green pigeon, illustration

The white-bellied green pigeon reaches its body length at more than 14 inches (36 cm). It is a medium-sized, compact built pigeon. ^[3]

Its tail is 4 to 5 inches (10 to 13 cm) long, while its beak measures less than 1 inch (2.5 cm).

The males have a bright green head and chest, olive-colored wings, throat and neck, and a white belly, undertail and legs, like the name suggests. Its beak is a light bluish ^[4] , and on the shoulders a patch of maroon is seen. The eye rings are vivid blue, the iris pink to violet. Their feet are red to violet.

The females, on the other hand, may look like the males, but are not as colorful. They have not maroon patches on their shoulders, and their breast is a frosted green.

Taxonomy

The white-bellied green pigeon is a member of the family Columbidae, which includes several subfamilies like Raphinae. This includes the tribe Treronini, and with it the genus Treron. It is closely related to the Ryukyu green pigeon.

Behaviour

The pigeon is known for its unusual habit of drinking saltwater. Scientists believe that this can help with the Pigeon's digestion of acidic Berries.^{[ citation needed ]} A well-known location where the pigeons do this in Japan is Terugasaki in Ōiso in Kanagawa Prefecture. ^{[5] [6]} White-bellied green pigeons live in pairs or in groups of up to ten individuals. They are also known to be shy and secretly living.

White-bellied green pigeon eating a cherry

White-bellied green pigeons eat exclusively fruits, like cherries of the korean cherry tree, grapes of the crismon glory wine, and cornels. In winter, they feed on acorns. They mostly pick the fruits from branches. Sometimes it comes to the ground to drink water. In Hokkaido, people watched pigeon groups of two hundred individuals, in Honshu groups of 440 individuals. The saltwater-drinking behavior is only seen in summer, which is why the summer diet lacks on minerals. ^[3]

The pigeon’s nest is typical of pigeons built in trees as a loose platform of twigs. The females lay two eggs.

References

1. BirdLife International (2016). "Treron sieboldii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016 e.T22691283A93308026. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22691283A93308026.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
2. Ueta, Mutsuyuki (2020), "Avifauna at Ooyamazawa: Decline of Birds that Forage in Bushy Understories", Long-Term Ecosystem Changes in Riparian Forests, Ecological Research Monographs, Singapore: Springer Singapore, pp. 201–211, doi: 10.1007/978-981-15-3009-8_11 , ISBN   978-981-15-3008-1
3. Gibbs, Barnes und Cox: Pigeons and Doves. S. 454.
4. Gibbs, Barnes und Cox: Pigeons and Doves. S. 456.
5. "Japanese Green Pigeon". Archived from the original on April 20, 2004. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
6. "White-bellied green pigeons battle waves in Kanagawa". Mainichi Shimbun . November 4, 2015. Archived from the original on March 22, 2018. Retrieved March 21, 2018.