Gray Imperial-Pigeon
Ducula pickeringii
Large pigeon with an elegant, silky appearance. Smooth, pearly gray below with dark gray wings, back, and tail (the first two can appear iridescent greenish in good light). Also note faint white eye-ring. Can be confused with Green Imperial-Pigeon, but Gray is much duller- and darker-winged. An inhabitant of forested offshore islands, where it is typically encountered singly or in pairs up in the canopy. Song is a low, booming “coOOOooouh”.
Identification
eBird describes the bird as "Large pigeon with an elegant, silky appearance. Smooth, pearly gray below with dark gray wings, back, and tail (the first two can appear iridescent greenish in good light). Also note faint white eye-ring. Can be confused with Green Imperial-Pigeon, but Gray is much duller- and darker-winged. An inhabitant of forested offshore islands, where it is typically encountered singly or in pairs up in the canopy. Song is a low, booming 'coOOOooouh'."<p>It has been noted feeding on fruits of figs and Cananga trees.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Ducula pickeringii
- Authority
- (Cassin, 1855)
- Order
- Columbiformes
- Family
- Columbidae
- Genus
- Ducula
Range and habitat
Its natural habitats at tropical moist lowland and primary and secondary forest and cultivated areas with trees. Little is known about its movements. It is reportedly resident on some northern Bornean islands, but certainly moves between Philippine islands, and varied in abundance from 1995 to 1997 on Karakelang, Indonesia. Like other small-island specialists, it presumably wanders in search of food.<p>The IUCN Red List has assessed this bird as vulnerable with the population being estimated at 1,500 to 7,000 mature individuals. Its main threat is habitat destruction through both legal and Illegal logging, conversion into farmland and urban development for tourism. Its large size makes it a target of hunters both for food and as a pet.<p>It occurs in a few protected areas like the Turtle Islands National Park, Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park, Maratuas and Pulau Mantanani Bird Sanctuary and Rasa Island where it benefits from the protection of the Philippine cockatoo. <p>Conservation actions proposed are survey in suitable habitat in order to calculate density estimates, better understand movements and ecology and calculate remaining habitat to refine the population estimate. Propose sites/islands supporting key populations for establishment as strict protected areas. Eradicate macaques and black rats from protected islands.Devise and initiate conservation awareness campaigns to control hunting and curb deforestation on key islands. Seek ban on trade in Imperial pigeons. Review taxonomic status of two subspecies (pickeringii and langhornei).
- Migration
- Nomadic movement
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Philippine Hawk-Eagle
Nisaetus philippensis
A fairly large raptor of lowland and foothill forest in the northern Philippines. Dark brown above and pale brown below with a streaked head and chest and a finely barred lower belly. Note the long hind crest and the chin stripe. In flight, has barred wings and a fairly long tail, both with a dark terminal band. Juveniles are much paler. Remarkably similar to Philippine Honey-buzzard, but head doesn’t project as far forward from the wings. Voice is a fairly high, screeching “week wik!” or single “week!”
Mongolian Ground-Jay
Podoces hendersoni
With its long, slightly decurved bill, flashy black-and-white wings, and ground-loving behavior, this bird is far from a typical jay. Sandy brown overall with a black crown and a thin dark line behind the eye. Clean pale face, less extensive white in the wing, and lack of white on the rump distinguish it from similar-looking Xinjiang Ground-Jay. Inhabits open, dry steppeland and high-altitude semi-desert, where it forages on the ground but often perches up on exposed boulders or snags.
Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel
Hydrobates furcatus
Unique among storm-petrels in having an entirely silvery-gray plumage. Aside from overall plumage color, look for contrasting dark underwings, dark mask around eye, and deeply forked tail. Breeds on offshore islands across the North Pacific, from Japan to California. Fairly common over cool water, often not far from shore. Found singly or in large flocks, often mixed with other storm-petrels.
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