Baker's Imperial-Pigeon
Ducula bakeri
A large, strikingly dark pigeon with an entirely dark upperside, a purple throat, a gray head, and a chestnut belly and underwing. Found mainly on large islands above 600 meters of elevation, but occasionally coastal. Unlike any other pigeon in Vanuatu. Most common call is a series of about 15 accelerating and shortening hoots.
Identification
The Vanuatu imperial pigeon is about 40 cm (16 in) long. The head and nape are sooty blue-grey, and the neck is dark purplish-maroon. The mantle, back and wing coverts are sooty-grey and have a steely sheen. The underwing coverts are chestnut, and the flight feathers are rufous. The throat is dark grey. The breast is dark purplish-maroon with a slight gloss, and the belly is deep chestnut. The uppertail coverts are black, and the undertail coverts are rufous. The eyes are yellow, the beak is black, and the feet are pinkish-red. The female is a little smaller and duller than the male. The juvenile bird has much duller plumage with no gloss.
Taxonomy
Norman Boyd Kinnear described the species from Santo in 1928, as Muscadivora bakeri. The specific name of this bird commemorates the British zoologist John Randal Baker, who discovered the species.
- Scientific name
- Ducula bakeri
- Authority
- (Kinnear, 1928)
- Order
- Columbiformes
- Family
- Columbidae
- Genus
- Ducula
Range and habitat
This pigeon is endemic to Vanuatu, occurring on several larger islands. Its habitat is mostly montane forests, and it also occurs in lowlands. On Santo, it lives in forests above 500 m (1,600 ft) in elevation.
- Migration
- Nomadic movement
Behavior
The Vanuatu imperial pigeon is usually found singly or in pairs in the canopy; small parties are sometimes found. It is a wary bird that is not easily found. A frugivore, it eats fruits of trees, shrubs and vines, and it moves within islands to search for food. Its call is a powerful repeated twoo-too-too-too-too. Its breeding biology is unknown.
Conservation
- Population trend
- unknown
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Junin Grebe
Podiceps taczanowskii
Critically endangered grebe found only on Lake Junín in the high Andes of central Peru. Adults are gray and white with a ruby-red eye; young birds have a brownish tinge. Extremely similar to the far more common Silvery Grebe, but Junin Grebe is slightly larger with a longer bill, a skinnier neck, darker flanks, and a paler bill. These differences are more evident when both species are present, to allow for direct comparison. Not easily seen or identified from the lakeshore; a boat is usually needed for close-up views.
Satin Swiftlet
Collocalia uropygialis
A strikingly patterned swiftlet that is mostly a deep satin purple with a bright white rump and white spots at the base of the tail. Occurs over most habitat types, almost always in flight. Resembles White-rumped Swiftlet, but generally much darker, especially underneath, with much more contrasting coloration and no pale throat. Rarely vocal, but gives an electric “churr” at nesting colonies.
Snowy Owl
Bubo scandiacus
Otherworldly beautiful large owl. White with a variable amount of black markings; old males are the whitest, while immature females have the densest dark patterning. Breeds on the Arctic tundra and winters in northern Eurasia and North America, where it favors expansive open habitats. Often encountered on lakeshores and in coastal areas with fields, marshes, piers, and sand dunes. Irruptive, moving considerably south of the usual wintering range some years.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.