The story The island of Rodrigues, far out in the Indian Ocean, is one of the Mascarene group and here a dodo-like species evolved from an ancestral pigeon stock. This species has become known as the Rodrigues Solitaire. The Huguenot refugee Francois Leguat, whose name occurs so regularly in the stories of extinct birds, took […]
Category: Columbiformes
Ryukyu Woodpigeon (Columba jouyi)
The story This species, closely related to the last, occurred on the Ryukyu and Daito Islands, another of the island groups to the south of Japan. It was last recorded on the Daito Islands during 1936. Although certainly extinct on Okinawa where it was last seen in 1904, the species may possibly cling to existence […]
Tanna Ground-dove (Gallicolumba ferruginea)
The story The Tanna Ground-dove is known today from just a single, rather crude, painting by Georg Forster that was produced during Captain Cook’s second voyage around the world. This painting is in the Forster portfolio at the Natural History Museum, London, and in the margin the following words are inscribed: Tanna, female, 17th August […]
Bonin Woodpigeon (Columba versicolor)
The story The avifaunas of several islands to the south of Japan have been badly depleted, and one of these island groups, the Bonins (Ogasawara), has lost several distinct forms. One of these was the Bonin Pigeon, a large, dark bird that was discovered in 1827 during the exploratory voyage of HMS Blossom. It seems […]
Liverpool Pigeon (Caloenas maculata)
The story Two hundred years ago there were two specimens of this species in existence. Now there is just one. No-one knows where it came from or when it was collected, although this was certainly at some time during the last half of the eighteenth century. The specimen is now in the collection of the […]
Red-billed Pigeon (Patagioenas flavirostris)
[order] COLUMBIFORMES | [family] Columbidae | [latin] Patagioenas flavirostris | [UK] Red-billed Pigeon | [FR] Pigeon a bec rouge | [DE] Rotschnabel-Taube | [ES] Paloma Piquirroja | [NL] Roodsnavelduif Subspecies Genus Species subspecies Breeding Range Breeding Range 2 Non Breeding Range Patagioenas flavirostris MA widespread Patagioenas flavirostris flavirostris s Texas (USA) to e Costa Rica […]
Ruddy Ground-Dove (Columbina talpacoti)
[order] COLUMBIFORMES | [family] Columbidae | [latin] Columbina talpacoti | [UK] Ruddy Ground-Dove | [FR] Colombe talpacoti | [DE] Rosttaubchen | [ES] Palomita Colorada (Arg,Bo), Tortolita Rojiza (Cr), Turquita Rojiza (HN) | [NL] Steenduif Subspecies Genus Species subspecies Breeding Range Breeding Range 2 Non Breeding Range Physical charateristics Ruddy Ground Doves are small short-tailed pigeons, […]
Ruddy Pigeon (Patagioenas subvinacea)
[order] COLUMBIFORMES | [family] Columbidae | [latin] Patagioenas subvinacea | [UK] Ruddy Pigeon | [FR] Pigeon vineux | [DE] Purpurtaube | [ES] Paloma Vinosa | [NL] Purpurduif Subspecies Genus Species subspecies Breeding Range Breeding Range 2 Non Breeding Range Patagioenas subvinacea LA Costa Rica through Amazonia Patagioenas subvinacea berlepschi se Panama to sw Ecuador Patagioenas […]
Band-tailed Pigeon (Patagioenas fasciata)
[order] COLUMBIFORMES | [family] Columbidae | [latin] Patagioenas fasciata | [UK] Band-tailed Pigeon | [FR] Pigeon du Pacifique | [DE] Bandtaube | [ES] Paloma de collar | [NL] Bandstaartduif Subspecies Genus Species subspecies Breeding Range Breeding Range 2 Non Breeding Range Patagioenas fasciata NA, LA sw British Columbia to nw Argentina Patagioenas fasciata albilinea Colombia […]
Ruddy Quail-Dove (Geotrygon montana)
[order] COLUMBIFORMES | [family] Columbidae | [latin] Geotrygon montana | [UK] Ruddy Quail-Dove | [FR] Colombe rouviolette | [DE] Bergtaube | [ES] Paloma-perdiz Comun | [NL] Bergkwartelduif Subspecies Genus Species subspecies Breeding Range Breeding Range 2 Non Breeding Range Starnoenas montana Geotrygon montana LA widespread Geotrygon montana martinica Lesser Antilles Is. Geotrygon montana montana Mexico […]