Green Imperial Pigeon
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| Green Imperial Pigeon | ||||||||||||||
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| Missing image Imperial.pigeon.750pix.jpg Ducula aenea paulina (Celebes race) | ||||||||||||||
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| Ducula aenea (Linnaeus, 1766) |
The Green Imperial Pigeon (Ducula aenea) is a pigeon which is a widespread resident breeding bird in tropical southern Asia from India east to Indonesia. It has a number of subspecies, of which the distinctive Celebes form, Chestnut-naped Imperial Pigeon (Ducula aenea paulina) is pictured.
This is a forest species; it builds a stick nest in a tree and lays a single white egg. Its flight is fast and direct, with the regular beats and an occasional sharp flick of the wings which are characteristic of pigeons in general.
Green Imperial Pigeon is a large plump pigeon, 45cm in length. Its back, wings and tail are metallic green. The head and underparts are white, apart from maroon undertail coverts. Sexes are similar.
This is an arboreal dove, feeding on plant material in the tree canopy. They are not very gregarious, but will form small flocks. The call is deep and resonant, and is often the first indication of the presence of this treetop species.
References
- Birds of India by Grimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp, ISBN 0-691-04910-6