Nilgiri Wood-pigeon
Encyclopedia
The Nilgiri Wood Pigeon (Columba elphinstonii) is large pigeon found in the moist deciduous
forests and sholas of the Western Ghats
in southwestern India
. They are mainly frugivorous and forage in the canopy of dense hill forests. They are best identified in the field by their large size, dark colours and the distinctive checkerboard pattern on their nape.
The species is evolutionarily close to the Ceylon Woodpigeon Columba torringtoni and the Ashy Wood-pigeon
Columba pulchricollis with which it is treated as a superspecies
. This groups is considered as basal within the Old World Columba pigeons. The binomial commemorates Mountstuart Elphinstone
(1779-1859).
and in the Nilgiri Hills. Although found mainly in the hills, it is sometimes seen at lower elevations within the Western Ghats. A few relict populations survive on the high elevations hills of the peninsula
outside the main distribution including the Biligirirangan Hills
and Nandi Hills
near Bangalore
.
are particularly favoured and most of their food is gathered by gleaning on the outer twigs of the middle and upper canopy. They often make movements within the forest according to the fruiting seasons of their favourite trees. Their call is a loud langur-like low hooting "who" followed by a series of deep "who-who-who" notes.
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
forests and sholas of the Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
in southwestern India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. They are mainly frugivorous and forage in the canopy of dense hill forests. They are best identified in the field by their large size, dark colours and the distinctive checkerboard pattern on their nape.
Description
This pigeon appears dark grey and a black and white patterned patch made of white tipped stiff feathers on the back of the neck is distinctive. The mantle is chestnut. The male has a paler grey crown while the female has a darker grey crown with a pale throat. The most confusable other species is the Mountain Imperial Pigeon but that species has paler underwing coverts. The feet and the base of the bill are red.The species is evolutionarily close to the Ceylon Woodpigeon Columba torringtoni and the Ashy Wood-pigeon
Ashy Wood-pigeon
The Ashy Wood Pigeon is a species of bird in the Columbidae family. It is found in Bhutan, India, Tibet, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Taiwan, and Thailand.Its natural habitat is temperate forests.-References:...
Columba pulchricollis with which it is treated as a superspecies
Superspecies
A superspecies is a group of at least two more or less distinctive species with approximately parapatric distributions. Not all species complexes, whether cryptices or ring species are superspecies, and vice versa, but many are...
. This groups is considered as basal within the Old World Columba pigeons. The binomial commemorates Mountstuart Elphinstone
Mountstuart Elphinstone
Mountstuart Elphinstone was a Scottish statesman and historian, associated with the government of British India. He later became the Governor of Bombay where he is credited with the opening of several educational institutions accessible to the Indian population...
(1779-1859).
Distribution
The species is mainly found along the Western GhatsWestern Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
and in the Nilgiri Hills. Although found mainly in the hills, it is sometimes seen at lower elevations within the Western Ghats. A few relict populations survive on the high elevations hills of the peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
outside the main distribution including the Biligirirangan Hills
Biligirirangan Hills
The Biligiriranga Hills, commonly called B R Hills, is a hill range situated in south-eastern Karnataka, at its border with Tamil Nadu in South India. The area is called Biligiriranga Swamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary or simply BRT Wildlife Sanctuary. It is a protected reserve under the Wildlife...
and Nandi Hills
Nandi Hills, India
Nandi Hills or Nandidurg is an ancient hill fortress of southern India, in the Chikkaballapur district of Karnataka state. It is located just 10 km from Chickballapur town and approximately 60 km from the city of Bangalore...
near Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
.
Behaviour and ecology
These pigeons are usually seen singly, in pairs or in small groups, feeding almost entirely in the trees but sometimes descending to the ground to forage on fallen fruits. Although feeding mainly on fruits they have been recorded taking small snails and other invertebrates. The breeding season is March to July during which time they make a flimsy platform of twigs and lay a single white egg which is usually visible from below the nest. They feed on large fruits and may play an important role in dispersal of the seeds of many forest trees. Fruits of the family LauraceaeLauraceae
The Lauraceae or Laurel family comprises a group of flowering plants included in the order Laurales. The family contains about 55 genera and over 3500, perhaps as many as 4000, species world-wide, mostly from warm or tropical regions, especially Southeast Asia and South America...
are particularly favoured and most of their food is gathered by gleaning on the outer twigs of the middle and upper canopy. They often make movements within the forest according to the fruiting seasons of their favourite trees. Their call is a loud langur-like low hooting "who" followed by a series of deep "who-who-who" notes.