Caloenas nicobarica
The Nicobar Pigeon (Caloenas nicobarica) is a striking, ground-dwelling pigeon renowned for its dazzling iridescent plumage and ancient lineage. Measuring approximately 40 cm (15.7 in) in length and weighing around 500-600g, its most distinctive field marks include its metallic green and coppery-bronze feathers, especially on its mantle and secondary wing coverts, contrasting sharply with its dark grey head and flight feathers. A prominent, shaggy neck hackle of metallic green and blue, a sho...
Inhabits dense primary or secondary evergreen forests, often on small, uninhabited offshore islands or coastal regions. Typically found at low elevations, rarely exceeding a few hundred meters above sea level.
Primarily frugivorous, consuming a variety of fallen fruits and seeds, supplemented by small invertebrates. Forages by sifting through leaf litter on the forest floor.
These pigeons are primarily diurnal, spending their days foraging on the forest floor and roosting communally at night, often on small, predator-free islets. They are highly gregarious, forming flocks that fly between roosting and foraging islands, sometimes covering significant distances over op...
The Nicobar Pigeon is a resident species found across a broad but fragmented insular range throughout Southeast Asia and Oceania. Its core distribution includes the Nicobar and Andaman Islands (India), coastal Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia (Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Sulawes...
Near Threatened
- The Nicobar Pigeon is the closest living relative to the extinct Dodo and Rodrigues Solitaire, earning it the nickname "Dodo's cousin. - It is the only living species in the genus Caloenas, making it a unique branch on the avian family tree. - Unlike most pigeons, it has a prominent, shaggy hac...