Nuku Hiva Imperial-Pigeon
Ducula galeata
A large pigeon with a mostly dark gray body and a greenish back and wings. Head appears elongated, with a fleshy saddle at the base of the bill. Chestnut rear underside is most obvious in flight. Resident in remote forested valleys above 700 meters of elevation. Most common vocalisation is a very harsh, crow-like “krrrahhh,” most often heard in the early morning.
Identification
This is the largest pigeon outside of the crowned pigeons, as it weighs approximately 900 grams (2 lb). Females, at 50 to 53.5 cm (19.7 to 21.1 in) long, are slightly smaller than males, at 55 cm (22 in) in length. Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 27.8–32.1 cm (10.9–12.6 in), the tail is 18.1–23.1 cm (7.1–9.1 in), the bill is 1.9–2.7 cm (0.75–1.06 in) and the tarsus is 3.9–4.6 cm (1.5–1.8 in). This species is heavily built with a large bill and long, broad tail. The wings are broad and rounded in shape.<p>The Marquesan imperial pigeon is sooty-gray on the head, throat and breast, with a white band just behind the bill that can be seen from some distance. The belly is slightly browner in color than the rest of the underside. The upperparts, wings and tail are glossy green with a bluish tint. The underside of both the tail and the wings are black. The bill is black, with a swollen cere that gives the face a unique sloping look just above the bill.<p>This bird has an cooing advertising call that consist of a loud, deep, guttural 'neah-ah, neah-ah, neah-ah, neah-ah or naw-aw, naw-naw or uh-wah, uh-wah, uh-wah. This call is so deep in timber that it is sometimes described as cow-like. A call, probably consisting of an excitement call, has been described as a crow-like krawk, krawk.
Taxonomy
Genus: Ducula; Family: Columbidae; Order: Columbiformes.
- Scientific name
- Ducula galeata
- Authority
- (Bonaparte, 1855)
- Order
- Columbiformes
- Family
- Columbidae
- Genus
- Ducula
Range and habitat
This was originally distributed throughout its native island, which at one time was almost completely covered in forest. Now it is basically restricted to woodland from 200 to 1,500 m (660 to 4,920 ft) above sea-level. A few on the island may still turn in sea-level forested groves and woods surrounded banana and orange plantations. Before ancient Polynesian settlers arrived there, subfossil bones show there was also a population of this bird on Henderson Island in the Pitcairn Islands.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: rising.
- Population trend
- rising
Photos
Distribution
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