The pied imperial pigeon (''Ducula bicolor'') is a relatively large, pied species of pigeon. It is found in forest, woodland, mangrove, plantations and scrub in Southeast Asia, ranging from

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

and Thailand, throughout Indonesia and east to the Philippines (where it is locally called as ''camasu'' and ''balud-puti'') and the Bird's Head Peninsula in New Guinea. It is mainly found on small islands and in coastal regions.Baptista, L. F., P. W. Trail, & H. M. Horblit (1997). Family Columbidae (Pigeons and Dovexs). pp. 60-243 in: del Hoya, J., A. Elliott, & J. Sargatal. eds. (1997). ''Handbook of the Birds of the World.'' Vol. 4. Sangrouse to Cuckoos. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. It remains locally common, and is therefore considered to be of least concern by

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and

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

Taxonomy

Pied Imperial-pigeon Ducula bicolor National Aviary 1300px

Its taxonomy is confusing and remains unsettled. It has sometimes included the Torresian,

yellowish Varieties of the color yellow may differ in hue, chroma (also called saturation, intensity, or colorfulness) or lightness (or value, tone, or brightness), or in two or three of these qualities. Variations in value are also called tints and shad ...

and

silver-tipped imperial pigeon The silver-tipped imperial pigeon (''Ducula luctuosa''), also known as the white-tipped imperial-pigeon, is a relatively large species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to forest, woodland and mangrove on Sulawesi and smaller nearby ...

s as

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

. The widespread

nominate subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

of the pied imperial pigeon differs from all these by its plain white thighs and undertail

coverts A covert feather or tectrix on a bird is one of a set of feathers, called coverts (or ''tectrices''), which, as the name implies, cover other feathers. The coverts help to smooth airflow over the wings and tail. Ear coverts The ear coverts are sm ...

(though often with a dark spot at the very tip), and its narrowly dark-tipped bluish bill. For comparison, the other species' have black-spotted undertail coverts and thighs (spotting mainly near thighs in silver-tipped imperial pigeon), the bill of the Torresian imperial pigeon is greenish-yellow, and the bills of the yellowish and silver-tipped imperial pigeons are bluish at the base and yellowish at the tip. Furthermore, the yellowish imperial pigeon has a distinctive yellowish tinge to its

plumage Plumage ( "feather") is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies and may vary with age classes. Within species, ...

(some pied imperial pigeons may also appear yellowish, but infrequently to the same extent), and the silver-tipped imperial pigeon has silvery-grey

remiges Flight feathers (''Pennae volatus'') are the long, stiff, asymmetrically shaped, but symmetrically paired pennaceous feathers on the wings or tail of a bird; those on the wings are called remiges (), singular remex (), while those on the tail ...

.Coates, B. J., & K. D. Bishop (1997). ''A Guide to the Birds of Wallacea.'' Dove Publications Pty. Ltd. However, the taxon ''melanura'' of the Moluccas, which usually is considered a subspecies of the pied imperial pigeon, resembles the Torresian imperial pigeon in bill, thighs and undertail coverts, but has a significantly broader black tail-tip. Consequently, some have suggested it should be placed under the Torresian imperial pigeon, while others have suggested it should be considered an entirely separate species, ''D. melanura'' (for which the name black imperial pigeon has been used – an unfortunate choice, as only the tail has significantly more black than the other members of this group, and the name black imperial pigeon usually has been used for '' D. melanochroa'').Gill, F., M. Wright, & D. Donsker (2009).
IOC World Bird Names
'' Version 2.1. Accessed 03-07-2009 Yet others have considered ''melanura'' to be invalid, instead believing it only is a

morph Morph may refer to: Biology * Morph (zoology), a visual or behavioral difference between organisms of distinct populations in a species * Muller's morphs, a classification scheme for genetic mutations * "-morph", a suffix commonly used in tax ...

of ''D. b. bicolor'', as both types can be found on some islands.

References

* Grimmett, ''Birds of India'', Inskipp and Inskipp, {{Taxonbar, from=Q232603 pied imperial pigeon Birds of Southeast Asia pied imperial pigeon

External links

Pied Imperial Pigeon Breed Guide - Pigeonpedia.com