ANIMALS FINDER

Nicobar pigeon

Image Video

Hàbitat Natural
Location in the zoo

Escolta'l

Geographic distribution:

Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, New Guinea

Scientific name:
- Caloenas nicobarica
Taxonomy:
- Class: Birds
- Order: Columbiformes
- Family: Columbidae
Biology:
- Area of origin: Asia
- Habitat: Tropical forest
- Social life: Gregarious
- Food: Herbivorous

Rating:
- Birds
Physical Characteristics:
- Longevity: more than 10 years
- Weight at birth:
- Middleweight: 460 - 600 g
- Length: 32 - 35 cm
Reproduction
- Reproduction: Oviparous
- Incubation: 28 - 32 days
- Number of eggs: 1, a vegades 2

Risk level of the species

Enlarge

Red list: Scale according to the situation of the species IUCN

Risk level of the species near threatened

Description

This large pigeon can measure up to 35-cm long and has eye-catching plumage in greens, blues and gold tones, a white tail and long, slender feathers that hang from the neck down to the chest. The dark beak has a noticeable knob.
They inhabit well-conserved mangroves, jungles and forests on a series of islands including Nicobar, Andaman, the Philippines, New Guinea, Palau and Salomon, from sea level up to altitudes of 700 m. In some places, they can adapt to secondary forests and forested regions used by man.
Terrestrial with regard to eating, they feed on fallen fruits, seeds and plant matter that they find on the rainforest floor, normally alone or in pairs. They are most active in the early morning and at twilight.
With nomadic behaviour, they frequently move between islands depending on the availability of food, often forming flocks of some 50 specimens.
They breed in colonies, normally on small islands, which can number 100s of pairs when there is no human presence. The nest is a simple structure of twigs built in the branches of trees.
In recent decades, their populations have been shrinking considerably in many parts of their area of distribution due to the deforestation of their jungle habitat, hunting for human consumption or to sell as songbirds, as well as becoming prey for mammals introduced on many of the islands that the species inhabits.
An important colony of this endangered pigeon regularly reproduces at the Barcelona Zoo.

All Zoo Animals