Pin-tailed green pigeon
| Pin-tailed green pigeon | |
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| Species Treron apicauda apicauda from Ghatgarh village of Nainital district of Uttarakhand, India | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Columbiformes |
| Family: | Columbidae |
| Genus: | Treron |
| Species: | T. apicauda
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| Binomial name | |
| Treron apicauda Blyth, 1846
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The pin-tailed green pigeon or pin-tailed pigeon (Treron apicauda) is a species of bird in the family Columbidae native to Southeast Asia.
Description
[edit]
The pin-tailed green pigeon is a medium sized dove, with an average weight of 185-255 grams. Males are 32-36 cm and females are typically 28 cm. It is yellow-green overall, with darker green wing-coverts and scapulars and black outer secondaries and primaries. The males have a golden breast with pinkish hues. The central tail feathers are a bluish-gray and the undertail-coverts a chestnut color. The orbital ring is blue, as is the bill, with a lighter green or yellow tip. The legs and feet are a bright reddish-pink. The females are a duller yellow, with much shorter central tail feathers and dull undertail-coverts. [2]
The song is described as a soft whistling ku-koo, which is usually paired. The pin-tailed green pigeon also lets out a high pitched doo! call. While in flight, feathers produce a whirring sound. [2]
Taxonomy and systematics
[edit]The pin-tailed green pigeon was first described by Edward Blyth in 1846. [3] The species' generic name comes from the Greek trērōn (timid, shy dove),[4] while the specific epithet apicauda is derived from a combination of the Latin apicis (apex or point)[citation needed] and the Latin cauda (tail). [5] The pin-tailed green pigeon was placed in the genus Sphenerus in the past. [2]
Subspecies
[edit]There are three recognized subspecies of the pin-tailed green pigeon.
- Treron apicauda apicauda. [3] It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Myanmar, Nepal and Thailand. [2]
- Treron apicauda laotianus. [6] Previously misspelt laotinus. It is found in the mountains of Laos and Vietnam. [2]
- Treron apicauda lowei. [7] It is found in the mountains of Thailand, central Laos, and Vietnam. [2]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]The pin-tailed green pigeon is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam. [8] It inhabits secondary growth and forest, including foothill forests, subtropical and tropical dry forest, and evergreen rainforest. It typically inhabits areas 0 to 1800 meters in elevation. [9]
Pin-tailed green pigeons are resident birds in some parts of their range, and nomadic in other parts in response to food resources. [10] In central Vietnam, they will descend to lower elevations during the dry season, which is when many trees are fruiting.
Behavior and ecology
[edit]Diet
[edit]The pin-tailed green pigeon is frugivorous, feeding mainly on fruits and berries in an acrobatic fashion. [2] The species is gregarious, forming feeding flocks varying from 10-30 birds. [9] Flocks have been observed descending to the ground to visit salt licks.
Breeding
[edit]Nesting has been observed in April, May, and June in the Himalayan foothills. In other parts of Southeast Asia, pin-tailed green pigeons have been observed breeding year round. The female lays two white eggs in a platformed twig nest, usually 5-6 meters off the ground. Nests have been observed in bamboo thickets, trees, and shrubs. Both parents incubate and feed the young. Individuals have a generational length of approximately 4.2 years. [9]
Conservation status
[edit]The pin-tailed green pigeon was assessed by the IUCN in 2018 and was listed as a species of least concern, though the population trend is decreasing. [9] Species is thought to be common across much of its range, though sightings are limited. Scarce in Thailand, and reported as very rare in Bangladesh. [2]
References
[edit]- ^ BirdLife International (2018). "Treron apicauda". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T22691252A130177627. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22691252A130177627.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Baptista, Luis F.; Trail, Pepper W.; Horblit, H.M.; Boesman, Peter F. D.; Garcia, Ernest (2020-03-04), Billerman, Shawn M.; Keeney, Brooke K.; Rodewald, Paul G.; Schulenberg, Thomas S. (eds.), "Pin-tailed Green-Pigeon (Treron apicauda)", Birds of the World, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, doi:10.2173/bow.pitpig1.01, S2CID 241088034, retrieved 2022-02-27
- ^ a b Blyth (1846). "Treron apicauda apicauda". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
- ^ "Definition of TRERON". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
- ^ "Medical Definition of CAUDA". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
- ^ Delacour (1926). "Treron apicauda laotinus (Pin-tailed Green-Pigeon (laotinus)) - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
- ^ Delacour (1924). "Treron apicauda lowei (Pin-tailed Green-Pigeon (lowei)) - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
- ^ Husain, K. Z. (July 1958). "Subdivisions and Zoogeography of the Genus Treron (Green Fruit-Pigeons)". Ibis. 100 (3): 334–348. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.1958.tb00403.x – via Wiley.
- ^ a b c d "Pin-tailed Green-pigeon". IUCN Red List. August 7, 2018. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
- ^ Hubbard, John P.; Seymour, Charles (2008-04-03). "Some Notable Bird Records from Egypt". Ibis. 110 (4): 575–578. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919x.1968.tb00067.x. ISSN 0019-1019.
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