One of the 10 pigeons on WAnimals
Birds · Columbiformes · Columbidae
Nicobar Pigeon
Caloenas nicobarica
It could become endangered in the near future if current threats go unchecked. See full glossary
The Nicobar pigeon is the most spectacular of the pigeons: iridescent green and copper with long hanging feathers on the neck that form a mane, and a pure white tail that contrasts with the rest. It lives on wooded islets of South-East Asia and Melanesia and travels daily between islands looking for fruit and seeds. It is the closest living relative of the dodo and the Rodrigues solitaire, both extinct.
Weight
460 g – 600 g
Size
34 cm – 40 cm
Lifespan
15 years
Diet
Herbivore
Feeds mainly on plants.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Social structure
In pairs
Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.
Sighting difficulty
Moderate
Fun facts
- It is the closest living relative of the dodo: genetic analysis of dodo remains identified it as its sister species, confirming that the Mauritian giant was indeed a pigeon.
- It has a gizzard with stones that lets it crush seeds of a hardness no other pigeon can handle, and it depends on islets free of rats and cats where its broods can survive.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
- Habitat & environment
- Coastal forest of islets and small islands of South-East Asia and Melanesia, free of land predators
- Birth weight
- Altricial: born blind, naked or with sparse down and entirely dependent
- Size at birth
- Altricial: born blind, naked or with sparse down and entirely dependent
- Sexual maturity
- 12 months
- Gestation / incubation
- 17 days
- Litter / clutch size
- 1
Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caloenas_nicobarica
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapBest time: All year round on the wooded islets running from the Bay of Bengal to the western Pacific; it nests in colonies on predator-free islands.
Where to watch it
Parques y spots de buceo donde se ha documentado esta especie — se muestran 10 de 16 documentados.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Nicobar Pigeon — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Victoria Crowned-Pigeon
Goura victoria
Dwarf Cassowary
Casuarius bennetti
Palm Cockatoo
Probosciger aterrimus
VulnerableRhinoceros Hornbill
Buceros rhinoceros
Greater Bird-of-Paradise
Paradisaea apoda
Moluccan Eclectus
Eclectus roratus
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about nicobar pigeon.
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