Maroon Pigeon

Columba thomensis

A large, very dark pigeon with a grayish head, a burgundy body with scattered small white spots, and a bright yellow bill and legs. Female is duller than the male. A scarce species found singly and in pairs in the canopy of primary and secondary forest, more frequently above 1300 meters of elevation; attends fruiting trees. Mostly quiet and inconspicuous, but gives a rolling, growling “crrr-crrow-rrrow-rrrow-rrrow” and other low-pitched pigeon-like cooing. Smaller Sao Tome Pigeon has a gray breast and an iridescent green nape and lacks Maroon Pigeon’s yellow feet and bill. 

Taxonomy

Scientific name
Columba thomensis
Authority
Barboza du Bocage, 1888
Order
Columbiformes
Family
Columbidae
Genus
Columba

Range and habitat

Migration
Resident species

Conservation

Population trend
declining

Photos

Distribution

Other Birds

Crescent Honeyeater

Crescent Honeyeater

Phylidonyris pyrrhopterus

Small honeyeater with wide yellow wing patch. Adult males mostly gray with a clear black crescent on each side of the breast. Females are primarily brown and have much fainter crescents; juveniles lack them. Both juveniles and females have much duller yellow wing patches than the adult male. Typically inhabits wet forests, often at higher elevations. Tends to move down from high altitudes in colder months. Common in Tasmania but also found in southern mainland Australia.

Golden-fronted Woodpecker

Golden-fronted Woodpecker

Melanerpes aurifrons

Medium-sized woodpecker, plain buffy-brown overall with black-and-white barring on the back. Head pattern varies across range but usually shows some combination of yellow and red. Most males on the Caribbean slope of Mexico and into Central America have a solidly red crown and nape. In flight, look for white rump. Common and conspicuous in open woodlands, deciduous forest, and arid scrub from Texas and Oklahoma south to Nicaragua. Often the default woodpecker close to human settlements. Visits backyards and feeders, especially for oranges and jelly. Hybridizes with Red-bellied Woodpecker at the northern limits of its range and with Hoffmann’s Woodpecker at the southern limits. Also compare with the smaller Yucatan Woodpecker.

Iringa Akalat

Iringa Akalat

Sheppardia lowei

A rather small, demure understory denizen resembling a cross between a robin and a flycatcher. Mostly dull brown with a buffy throat and a short eyebrow. Juvenile is more mottled. A highly local bird found singly and in pairs in dry and wet primary and secondary montane forest in a narrow range along the Udzungwa and Livingstone mountains escarpment between 1350 and 2500 meters of elevation. Sits for long periods, sallying to catch insect prey, or forages on the ground, often in the company of ants and other ant-following birds. Sings a variable medley of quavering high-pitched notes, “tseet-teet-tsereet-teeet-tsureet,” that is sweet without being tuneful. Calls include an invariable piping “wheet” uttered once a second. Alarm call is a grating “drrrzzt, drrrt, drrrt.” May be mistaken for a flycatcher, but its furtive nature and preference for thick understory are unique within its range. 

Start Your Bird Watching Journey

Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.

Maroon Pigeon | BirdLens