logo right side
Home Gallery Reviews Classifieds Chat
logo right side
Go Back   Parrotchatter Forums > Specific Bird Chatter > Doves & Pigeons
left side right side
Reply
left side right side
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
left side right side
Old 09-02-2007, 06:55 AM   #1
1 2 3
4 6
 
Senior Member

 
 
 
BrokenWing's Avatar
 
7
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Coon Rapids, Minnesota
Posts: 3,673
9
10
12
13 14 15
Default African Olive Pigeon

The African Olive Pigeon or Rameron Pigeon (Columba arquatrix) is a pigeon which is a resident breeding bird in much of eastern and southern Africa from Ethiopia to the Cape. There are also populations in western Angola, southwestern Arabia and northern Yemen. It is locally common, although there are sizeable gaps in its distribution due to its habitat requirements.

This is a species of moist forest canopies above 1400 m altitude, although it occurs locally as low as 700 m. It will use mountain fynbos, second growth and clearings, and feed on agricultural land if it is not persecuted

The African Olive Pigeon builds a large stick nest up to 15 m high in a tree and lays one (rarely two) white eggs. The eggs are incubated for 17-20 days to hatching, and the chicks fledge in another 20 days.

The male has a display consisting of deep bows, and a display flight which consists of a climb, wingclapping, and slow glide down.

The adult male African Olive Pigeon is a large pigeon at 37-42 cm in length. Its back and wings are maroon, with the shoulders heavily speckled with white spots. The underparts are maroon with heavy white spotting, and the head is grey with yellow patches around the eye, and a yellow bill. The neck plumage, used in display, is streaked maroon and white, the underwing and undertail are dark grey, and the feet are yellow.

Females are very similar but somewhat duller. Juvenile birds have the maroon and grey replaced with dark brown, the bare parts are a dull greenish-yellow, and the wing feathers have pale fringes. In flight, this pigeon looks very dark. Its flight is quick, with the regular beats and an occasional sharp flick of the wings which are characteristic of pigeons in general. The call is a loud coo coo.

The African Olive Pigeon feeds on fruit and berries, mainly picked in the canopy, but it will also descend for fallen fruit and take some insects and caterpillars. In the south of its range, it favours the fruit of the bugweed, Solanum mauritianum. Birds will fly considerable distances from their roosts to feeding areas, and young or non-breeding birds will form flocks.
BrokenWing is offline  
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
Old 09-02-2007, 07:10 AM   #2
1 2 3
4 6
 
Administrator

 
 
 
Big Blues's Avatar
 
7
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Pacific Northwest
Posts: 3,853
9
10
12
13 14 15
Default Re: African Olive Pigeon

Wow, what a georgeous bird! Thanks again for sharing such great sub-species information.
Big Blues is offline  
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!
Reply With Quote
Reply


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Olive at her new home Roxanne Doves & Pigeons 87 01-14-2008 12:44 PM
African penguins CatsChair Nature and Wildlife 4 07-15-2007 10:46 AM
Why an African Grey? Doyle'sMommy African Greys 11 06-05-2007 10:16 PM


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 12:59 AM.


Design By: Miner Skinz.com
Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2008, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Search Engine Friendly URLs by vBSEO 3.1.0
ParrotChatter.com