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
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