Bonin Wood-pigeon
Encyclopedia
The Bonin Wood Pigeon was a pigeon endemic
to Nakodo-jima ("Nakondo" is a frequent spelling error) and Chichi-jima
in the Ogasawara Islands
off the coast of Japan
. It is known from four recorded specimens, the first from 1827 and the last from 1889. They averaged a length of 45 cm. This pigeon died out late in the 19th century as a result of deforestation
, hunting, and predation by introduced rat
s and cat
s.
except on wing and tail. Crown has a green-purple iridescence, mantle to rump iridescent reflecting violet
, amethyst and turquoise
. Scapulars and remaining mantle glossed golden green with bronze
reflections; wing coverts with dark turquoise green suffused with deep blue. The uppertail of the pigeon coverts broadly tipped with golden green. Breast to belly fringed with deep green and violet iridescence, being strongest on the breast. Iris blue or probably dark blue; bill
greenish yellow having a pale tip; legs and the feet were dark red.
.
and the pigeons eggs usually takes 17 to 19 days to hatch into a young Bonin Wood Pigeon, just like any other Wood Pigeons of today.
Endemism in birds
An endemic bird area is a region of the world that contains two or more restricted-range species, while a "secondary area" contains one or more restricted-range species. Both terms were devised by Birdlife International....
to Nakodo-jima ("Nakondo" is a frequent spelling error) and Chichi-jima
Chichi-jima
, formerly known as Peel Island and in the 19th century known to the English as part of the Bonin Islands, is the largest island in the Ogasawara archipelago. Chichi-jima is approximately 150 miles north of Iwo Jima. The island is within the political boundaries of Ogasawara Town, Ogasawara...
in the Ogasawara Islands
Ogasawara Islands
The Bonin Islands, known in Japan as the are an archipelago of over 30 subtropical and tropical islands, some directly south of Tokyo, Japan. Administratively, they are part of Ogasawara Municipality of Ogasawara Subprefecture, Tokyo...
off the coast of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It is known from four recorded specimens, the first from 1827 and the last from 1889. They averaged a length of 45 cm. This pigeon died out late in the 19th century as a result of deforestation
Deforestation
Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....
, hunting, and predation by introduced rat
Rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
s and cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
s.
Description
The Bonin Wood Pigeon was a medium-sized pigeon, with an average length of 45 cm. The upper parts of the Pigeon's body were greyish-black with iridescenceIridescence
Iridescence is generally known as the property of certain surfaces which appear to change color as the angle of view or the angle of illumination changes...
except on wing and tail. Crown has a green-purple iridescence, mantle to rump iridescent reflecting violet
Violet (color)
As the name of a color, violet is synonymous with a bluish purple, when the word "purple" is used in the common English language sense of any color between blue and red, not including either blue or red...
, amethyst and turquoise
Turquoise (color)
Turquoise or is a slightly blueish tone of light green. The color is based on the gem turquoise. The term comes from the French for Turkish.At right is displayed the X11 color named turquoise....
. Scapulars and remaining mantle glossed golden green with bronze
Bronze (color)
At right is displayed the color bronze.Bronze is a medium brown color which resembles the actual alloy bronze.The first recorded use of bronze as a color name in English was in 1753...
reflections; wing coverts with dark turquoise green suffused with deep blue. The uppertail of the pigeon coverts broadly tipped with golden green. Breast to belly fringed with deep green and violet iridescence, being strongest on the breast. Iris blue or probably dark blue; bill
Beak
The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which is used for eating and for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, courtship and feeding young...
greenish yellow having a pale tip; legs and the feet were dark red.
Last confirmed sighting
The Bonin Wood Pigeon was confirmed extinct in Spring 1889 and the last sighting was in the forests of the Nakodo-Jima, JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Reproduction
The Bonin Wood Pigeons usually mated in the trees or in the forests. Their eggs were particularly vulnerable to Crows and other natural predators. They each normally make two eggsEgg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
and the pigeons eggs usually takes 17 to 19 days to hatch into a young Bonin Wood Pigeon, just like any other Wood Pigeons of today.