Cameroon Pigeon
Columba sjostedti
A large dark purple-gray pigeon with distinctive white spots on the breast and back, a blue-gray head, and a bright red-and-yellow bill. Often seen flying over the canopy in transit or during display flights, and sometimes perches conspicuously in the open. Found exclusively in montane forests. Vocalizations are poorly known, but appear to consist of a growl followed by multiple low coos. Overlaps locally with White-naped Pigeon, which has a white head patch and dark spots on a lighter chest, unlike the Cameroon Pigeon’s uniformly gray head and white-spotted dark body.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Columba sjostedti
- Authority
- Reichenow, 1901
- Order
- Columbiformes
- Family
- Columbidae
- Genus
- Columba
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Waved Woodpecker
Celeus undatus
Medium-sized woodpecker of rainforest. Note compact shape and uniform brown coloration with a pale bill. Often with mixed-species flocks, occurring from the mid-story to the canopy. Also occurs in lower-stature forests with sandy soils. Climbs trunks and large branches in typical woodpecker fashion; explores bark crevices and arboreal termite nests. Usually first detected by its distinctive nasal call. Superficially similar to Chestnut Woodpecker but is less richly colored and much smaller.
Gray-capped Cuckoo
Coccyzus lansbergi
Brightly-colored cuckoo found mainly west of the Andes. Combination of rufous-tawny body and gray separates it from other cuckoos in range. Nests in deciduous forest, dense scrub, and savanna at lower elevations. Outside of the breeding season, it disperses widely and can be seen far from its breeding areas, including at high elevations on rare occasions. Furtive and rarely comes out into the open for long. Song is short series of soft, guttural notes; also gives a harsh churr.
Ceara Woodcreeper
Xiphorhynchus atlanticus
Small, slim woodcreeper with a thin slightly decurved bill. Found in humid forests, where it regularly follows mixed-species flocks. The rufous-brown body is heavily marked with drop-shaped spots on the breast, head, and back. Separated from Lesser Woodcreeper by range, blurry streaks on belly, and olive-yellow eyering, eyestripe, and throat.
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