The Taiwan green pigeon (''Treron formosae'') is a

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. The species was first described by

Robert Swinhoe Robert Swinhoe FRS (1 September 1836 – 28 October 1877) was an English diplomat and naturalist who worked as a Consul in Formosa. He catalogued many Southeast Asian birds, and several, such as Swinhoe's pheasant, are named after him. Bio ...

in 1863. It is found in Taiwan and

Batanes Batanes, officially the Province of Batanes ( ivv, Provinsiya nu Batanes; Ilocano: ''Probinsia ti Batanes''; fil, Lalawigan ng Batanes, ), is an archipelagic province in the Philippines, administratively part of the Cagayan Valley region. It i ...

in the Philippines. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and rural gardens. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Taxonomy

The

Ryukyu green pigeon The Ryukyu green pigeon (''Treron permagnus'') is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to the Ryukyu Islands in Japan. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the Taiwan green pigeon (''T. formosae''), but phylogenetic evi ...

(''T. permagnus'') of the

Ryuku Islands The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ōsumi, Tokara, Amami, Okinawa, and Sakishima Islands (further divided into the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands), with Yonagun ...

was formerly considered conspecific, with both species being united together as the whistling green pigeon, but was split as a distinct species by the IOC in 2021. There are thought to be two

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 ...

: * ''T. f. formosae'' - endemic to Taiwan * ''T. f. filipinus'' - endemic to the Philippines, found on

and the Babuyan Islands

Description

The Taiwan green pigeon is visually similar to the

Wedge-tailed green pigeon The wedge-tailed green pigeon or Kokla green pigeon (''Treron sphenurus'') is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. Description It is greenish yellow with wedge shaped tail. The crown is tinged with orange-rufous with variable amount of ...

, but with usually darker plumage. Females are of various green shades throughout, and males have a distinctive purple-grey patch over the wings. EBird describes the bird as "A variable green-pigeon of subtropical and tropical lowland broadleaf evergreen forests. Ryukyu subspecies readily approachable, sometimes found in parks and gardens; Taiwan subspecies more timid. Ryukyu and Taiwan subspecies sometimes considered separate species, as Taiwan birds are much smaller and have a rufous cap. Similar to White-bellied Green-Pigeon, but feathers around the legs never white, face less yellowish, and white edges of undertail coverts narrower. Song a low, whistling poo-aa-poooo, rising and trilling at end, recalling a bamboo flute."

Habitat and Conservation Status

It inhabits subtropical broadleaved evergreen forest, cultivated fields where there are trees nearby, mainly lowlands and hills on small islands but is mainly a montane species on Taiwan, where it occurs up to . IUCN has assessed this bird as near threatened. This species' main threat is habitat loss and hunting.

References

Taiwan green pigeon The Taiwan green pigeon (''Treron formosae'') is a 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 metaboli ...

Birds of Taiwan Fauna of Batanes

Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Columbiformes-stub