The thick-billed green pigeon (''Treron curvirostra'') is a species of bird in the family Columbidae.

Taxonomy

The thick-billed green pigeon was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist

Johann Friedrich Gmelin , fields = , workplaces = University of GöttingenUniversity of Tübingen , alma_mater = University of Tübingen , doctoral_advisor = Philipp Friedrich GmelinFerdinand Christoph Oetinger , academic_advisors = , doctora ...

in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's ''

Systema Naturae ' (originally in Latin written ' with the ligature æ) is one of the major works of the Swedish botanist, zoologist and physician Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778) and introduced the Linnaean taxonomy. Although the system, now known as binomial nomen ...

''. He placed it with all the other doves and pigeons in the genus ''

Columba Columba or Colmcille; gd, Calum Cille; gv, Colum Keeilley; non, Kolban or at least partly reinterpreted as (7 December 521 – 9 June 597 AD) was an Irish abbot and missionary evangelist credited with spreading Christianity in what is toda ...

'' and coined the binomial nomenclature, binomial name ''Columba curvirostra''. Gmelin based his description on the "Hook-billed Pigeon" from the "island of Tanna in the South Seas" that had been described and illustrated in 1783 by the English ornithologist John Latham (ornithologist), John Latham. Latham was mistaken in believing that his specimen had come from the island of Tanna (island), Tanna in the New Hebrides. The type locality (biology), type locality was designated as the Malay Peninsula by Harry C. Oberholser in 1912. The thick-billed green pigeon is now placed with around 30 other green pigeons in the genus ''Treron'' that was introduced in 1816 by the French ornithologist Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot. The genus name is from the Ancient Greek ''trērōn'' meaning "pigeon" or "dove". The specific epithet ''curvirostra'' combines the Latin ''curvus'' meaning "curved" with ''-rostris'' meaning "billed". Nine subspecies are recognized: * ''T. c. nipalensis'' (Brian Houghton Hodgson, Hodgson, 1836) – central Nepal and northeast India through Myanmar to south Indochina * ''T. c. hainanus'' Ernst Hartert, Hartert, EJO & Goodson, 1918 – island of Hainan (off southeast China) * ''T. c. curvirostra'' (Johann Friedrich Gmelin, Gmelin, JF, 1789) – Malay Peninsula and Sumatra * ''T. c. haliplous'' Harry C. Oberholser, Oberholser, 1912 – Simeulue (west of north Sumatra) * ''T. c. pegus'' Oberholser, 1912 – Nias (west of north Sumatra) * ''T. c. smicrus'' Oberholser, 1912 – Sipura, Siberut and Batu Islands (west of central Sumatra) * ''T. c. hypothapsinus'' Oberholser, 1912 – Enggano Island (west of south Sumatra) * ''T. c. nasica'' Hermann Schlegel, Schlegel, 1863 – Borneo * ''T. c. erimacrus'' Oberholser, 1924 – Mindoro and Palawan group (northwest, southwest Philippines)

Description

Rather small-sized pigeon being under as compared to other green pigeons. A thick pale greenish bill with red base, broad bluish-Green eye ring, grey crown and maroon mantle diagnostic. Wings have black primary and secondaries with yellow outer edge. Underside green in both sexes. Thighs dark green with whitish scales. Female has greenish undertail coverts with whitish scales. Males have maroon dorsum and dull chestnut undertail coverts.Robson, Craig, and Richard Allen. New Holland field guide to the birds of South-East Asia. New Holland Publishers, 2005

Distribution and habitat

It ranges across the eastern regions of the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, stretching from the Eastern Himalayas to Borneo and Sumatra. Found across Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Tibet and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical mangrove forests.

Behaviour and ecology

Known to feed on syconia of Figs walking slowly along the branches. Thick Billed Green Pigeon Male

Various views and plumages

Image:Thick-billed Green Pigeon (Treron curvirostra) at Jayanti, Duars, West Bengal W Picture 098.jpg, at Jayanti (village), Jayanti in Buxa Tiger Reserve in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal, India. Image:Thick-billed Green Pigeon (Treron curvirostra) at Jayanti, Duars, West Bengal W Picture 093.jpg, at Jayanti (village), Jayanti in Buxa Tiger Reserve in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal, India.

References

Treron, thick-billed green pigeon Birds of Eastern Himalaya Birds of South China Birds of Southeast Asia Birds described in 1789, thick-billed green pigeon Taxa named by Johann Friedrich Gmelin, thick-billed green pigeon Articles containing video clips Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Columbiformes-stub