The Micronesian imperial pigeon (''Ducula oceanica''), also known as the Micronesian pigeon, and Belochel is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

in the family

Columbidae Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...

(doves). It is found in

Palau Palau,, officially the Republic of Palau and historically ''Belau'', ''Palaos'' or ''Pelew'', is an island country and microstate in the western Pacific. The nation has approximately 340 islands and connects the western chain of the Caro ...

, the

Caroline Islands The Caroline Islands (or the Carolines) are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically, they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) in the centra ...

, the

Marshall Islands The Marshall Islands ( mh, Ṃajeḷ), officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( mh, Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ),'' () is an independent island country and microstate near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the Internati ...

and

Nauru Nauru ( or ; na, Naoero), officially the Republic of Nauru ( na, Repubrikin Naoero) and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country and microstate in Oceania, in the Central Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in Ki ...

. Its habitats include montane forests, secondary forests, forests on beaches, and mangroves. It is threatened by hunting and deforestation, and the IUCN has assessed it as a near-threatened species.

Taxonomy

The species was first described as ''Columba oceanica'' in 1826. The

binomial authority In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

was formerly considered to be Lesson & Garnot, but it is now given as Desmarest. Five subspecies are recognized: ''D. o. monacha'' in Palau and

Yap Yap ( yap, Waqaab) traditionally refers to an island group located in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, a part of Yap State. The name "Yap" in recent years has come to also refer to the state within the Federated States of Micro ...

, ''D. o. teraokai'' on Chuuk, ''D. o. townsendi'' on

Pohnpei Pohnpei "upon (''pohn'') a stone altar (''pei'')" (formerly known as Ponape or Ascension, Proto-Chuukic-Pohnpeic: ''*Fawo ni pei)'' is an island of the Senyavin Islands which are part of the larger Caroline Islands group. It belongs to Pohnpei ...

, ''D. o. oceanica'' on

Kosrae Kosrae ( ), formerly known as Kusaie or Strong's Island, is an island in the Federated States of Micronesia. The State of Kosrae is one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia, and includes the main island of Kosrae and a few near ...

, and ''D. o. ratakensis'' in the

Description

The Micronesian imperial pigeon is about long and weighs . The head and neck are ashy grey. The back and

wing covert 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 ...

s are dark green, reflecting dark blue. The

flight feather 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 ...

s are blackish, with a green gloss. The breast is light grey, and the vent is dark rufous. The tail is blackish above and dark brown below. The beak is slaty black, and the

cere The beak, bill, or rostrum is an external anatomical structure found mostly in birds, but also in turtles, non-avian dinosaurs and a few mammals. A beak is used for eating, preening, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, ...

is black. The eyes are reddish brown, and the feet are purplish red. The female and the juvenile birds are darker. The subspecies are distinguished by their size and the colour of their heads. This species of bird makes many different types of calls, which can sound like barking, cooing, or moaning. It can probably fly pretty well.

Distribution and habitat

The Micronesian imperial pigeon is found in the Marshall Islands, Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae of Micronesia, Nauru, and Palau. The populations on

Kiribati Kiribati (), officially the Republic of Kiribati ( gil, ibaberikiKiribati),Kiribati
''The Wor ...

and many of the Marshall Islands are probably extinct. On Pohnpei and Kosrae, it mostly lives in the mountains. In areas where it is not hunted, it is found in

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. ...

, forest on beaches, and

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evoluti ...

s. It also occurs in coconut plantations.

Behaviour

This pigeon is mostly solitary, usually observed in the canopy. It eats fruits and fleshy seeds. Its calls include a deep-throated bark ', a moan, and mellow coos. Almost nothing is known about its breeding. The breeding season is probably the entire year.

Status

A 2005 survey in Palau found that, on

Babeldaob Babeldaob (also Babelthuap) is the largest island in the island nation of the Republic of Palau. It is in the western Caroline Islands, and the second largest island (after Guam) in the Micronesia region of Oceania. Palau's capital, Ngerulmud, is ...

and the

Rock Islands The Rock Islands of Palau, also called ''Chelbacheb'', are a collection of several hundred small limestone or coral uprises in the Southern Lagoon of Palau between Koror and Peleliu, now an incorporated part of Koror State. There are between 25 ...

, the species had declined but was still common. It was rare on

Peleliu Peleliu (or Beliliou) is an island in the island nation of Palau. Peleliu, along with two small islands to its northeast, forms one of the sixteen states of Palau. The island is notable as the location of the Battle of Peleliu in World War II. H ...

and was not recorded on

Angaur , or in Palauan, is an island and state in the island nation of Palau. History Angaur was traditionally divided among some eight clans. Traditional features within clan areas represent important symbols giving identity to families, clans and ...

. A 2006–2007 survey estimated that there were 75–100 individuals on Nauru. The number of individuals that monitoring stations observed decreased from 2005 to 2010. The population on the

Majuro Atoll Majuro (; Marshallese: ' ) is the capital and largest city of the Marshall Islands. It is also a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean. It forms a legislative district of the Ratak (Sunrise) Chain of the Marshall Islands. The atol ...

of the Marshall Islands was estimated at 80 in 2011, after a recovery programme of the Marshall Islands Conservation Society. The Micronesian imperial pigeon is hunted, possibly causing the population decline on Palau and Nauru. It is also threatened by deforestation. Because of these threats, the population is probably declining. The

International Union for Conservation of Nature 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 ...

has therefore assessed the species as Vulnerable.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1264191

Micronesian imperial pigeon The Micronesian imperial pigeon (''Ducula oceanica''), also known as the Micronesian pigeon, and Belochel is a species of bird in the family Columbidae (doves). It is found in Palau, the Caroline Islands, the Marshall Islands and Nauru. Its habit ...

Birds of Micronesia Near threatened animals Near threatened biota of Oceania

Taxonomy articles created by Polbot