Columba versicolor
The Bonin Wood Pigeon (Columba versicolor) was a strikingly beautiful, medium-sized pigeon, measuring approximately 45 cm (17.7 inches) in length. Its plumage was predominantly dark, iridescent green and purplish-brown on the upperparts, contrasting with a grayish head and neck. A distinguishing feature was a patch of metallic green on the nape and hindneck, often bordered by a coppery sheen, alongside a duller chestnut-brown breast and belly that faded to a rufous undertail. Its eyes were da...
This species inhabited subtropical moist broadleaf forests, particularly primary forest, on the islands of Chichi-jima and Nakodo-jima within the Ogasawara Archipelago.
Its diet primarily consisted of fruits, seeds, and buds from various forest plants, especially those found in the dense subtropical woodlands of its island habitat.
Detailed behavioral observations of the Bonin Wood Pigeon are extremely limited due to its extinction before extensive study could be conducted. It is presumed to have been a largely arboreal species, foraging primarily in the forest canopy for fruits and seeds, occasionally descending to the for...
The Bonin Wood Pigeon was strictly endemic to the Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands, a remote archipelago south of mainland Japan. Its historical range was restricted to just two islands within this group: Chichi-jima and likely Nakodo-jima. It was a resident species, with no known migratory patterns, sp...
Extinct
- The Bonin Wood Pigeon is known from only four museum specimens, three collected between 1827 and 1828, and one in 1889. - Its extinction is largely attributed to habitat destruction (deforestation for settlement and agriculture) and predation by introduced cats and rats. - The last confirmed si...