Nesoenas rodericanus
The Rodrigues Pigeon (*Nesoenas rodericanus*) was a robust, medium-sized pigeon endemic to Rodrigues Island, one of the Mascarene islands. Known primarily from subfossil remains and the vivid accounts of early European explorers like François Leguat in the late 17th century, it was described as being larger than a common domestic pigeon, likely around 32 cm (12.6 inches) in length. Its plumage was noted as pale grey, adorned with a reddish breast and a distinctive white spot on each wing, mak...
This pigeon inhabited the forests and woodlands of Rodrigues Island, likely favoring areas with a dense understory and access to fruit-bearing trees, from coastal lowlands to the island's higher elevations.
Primarily frugivorous and granivorous, feeding on fruits, seeds, and possibly other plant matter found on the forest floor of Rodrigues Island.
Detailed behavioral accounts are scarce, based primarily on anecdotal observations by early explorers. The Rodrigues Pigeon was likely diurnal, spending its days foraging on the forest floor for fallen fruits and seeds. Leguat noted their remarkable tameness and lack of fear towards humans, a com...
The Rodrigues Pigeon was strictly endemic to Rodrigues Island, the smallest of the Mascarene archipelago in the Indian Ocean. Historically, its population was found across the island, from the lowland coastal forests to the more elevated inland wooded areas. As an island endemic, it was non-migra...
Extinct
- The Rodrigues Pigeon is known to science primarily through the written accounts of Huguenot refugee François Leguat, who landed on Rodrigues in 1693, and later through the discovery of subfossil remains. - It was one of many unique species endemic to the Mascarene Islands that became extinct sh...