Nicobar Pigeon, N.C. Zoo

by Cynthia Wolfe

Title

Nicobar Pigeon, N.C. Zoo

Artist

Cynthia Wolfe

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Photograph

Description

This beautiful Nicobar Pigeon was sitting so pretty on a tree limb, surrounded by lush greenery and beautiful orchids at the Aviary within the North Carolina Zoo. The bird did not move as I approached it for a photo. I was amazed with all of the pretty, brilliant colors.

The Nicobar pigeon (Caloenas nicobarica) is a pigeon found on small islands and in coastal regions from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India, east through the Malay Archipelago, to the Solomons and Palau. It is the only living member of the genus Caloenas and the closest living relative of the extinct dodo.


It is a large pigeon, measuring 40 cm (16 in) in length. The head is grey, like the upper neck plumage, which turns into green and copper hackles. The tail is very short and pure white. The rest of its plumage is metallic green. The cere of the dark bill forms a small blackish knob; the strong legs and feet are dull red. The irides are dark.[2]
Females are slightly smaller than males; they have a smaller bill knob, shorter hackles and browner underparts. Immature birds have a black tail and lack almost all iridescence. There is hardly any variation across the birds' wide range. Even the Palau subspecies C. n. pelewensis has merely shorter neck hackles, but is otherwise almost identical.[2]
It is a very vocal species, giving a low-pitched repetitive call.[

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March 25th, 2017

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