The grey imperial pigeon (''Ducula pickeringii'') is a species of
bird in the family
Columbidae. It is found in the
Sulu Archipelago,
Miangas and
Talaud Islands. Its natural
habitats are tropical moist lowland
forests and
plantations. It is threatened by
habitat loss.
Description
eBird describes the bird as "Large pigeon with an elegant, silky appearance. Smooth, pearly gray below with dark gray wings, back, and tail (the first two can appear iridescent greenish in good light). Also note faint white eye-ring. Can be confused with Green Imperial-Pigeon, but Gray is much duller- and darker-winged. An inhabitant of forested offshore islands, where it is typically encountered singly or in pairs up in the canopy. Song is a low, booming “coOOOooouh"
It has been noted feeding on fruits of figs and
Cananga
''Cananga'' (ultimately from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *''kanaŋa'') is a small genus of trees in the family Annonaceae, native to Indo-China and Malesia, but introduced elsewhere. One of its species, '' Cananga odorata'', is important as the s ...
trees.
Habitat and Conservation Status
Its natural
habitats
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
at
tropical moist lowland and
primary and secondary forest
A secondary forest (or second-growth forest) is a forest or woodland area which has re-grown after a timber harvest or clearing for agriculture, until a long enough period has passed so that the effects of the disturbance are no longer evident. ...
and cultivated areas with trees. Little is known about its movements. It is reportedly resident on some northern Bornean islands, but certainly moves between Philippine islands, and varied in abundance from 1995 to 1997 on Karakelang, Indonesia. Like other small-island specialists, it presumably wanders in search of food.
The
IUCN Red List has assessed this bird as
vulnerable
Vulnerable may refer to:
General
* Vulnerability
* Vulnerability (computing)
* Vulnerable adult
* Vulnerable species
Music
Albums
* ''Vulnerable'' (Marvin Gaye album), 1997
* ''Vulnerable'' (Tricky album), 2003
* ''Vulnerable'' (The Used album) ...
with the population being estimated at 1,500 to 7,000 mature individuals. Its main threat is
habitat destruction through both legal and
Illegal logging, conversion into farmland and
urban development for tourism. Its large size makes it a target of hunters both for food and as a pet.
It occurs in a few protected areas like the
Turtle Islands National Park,
Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park, Maratuas and Pulau Mantanani Bird Sanctuary and
Rasa Island where it benefits from the protection of the
Philippine cockatoo.
Conservation actions proposed are survey in suitable habitat in order to calculate density estimates, better understand movements and ecology and calculate remaining habitat to refine the population estimate. Propose sites/islands supporting key populations for establishment as strict protected areas. Eradicate
macaques and
black rats from protected islands.Devise and initiate conservation awareness campaigns to control hunting and curb deforestation on key islands. Seek ban on trade in Imperial pigeons. Review taxonomic status of two subspecies ''(pickeringii'' and ''langhornei)''.
References
External links
BirdLife Species Factsheet.
grey imperial pigeon
Birds of Malesia
grey imperial pigeon
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
{{Columbiformes-stub