Yellow-footed green-pigeon

Treron phoenicoptera

Photo by Nabarun Sadhya (Flickr)

Common name:
yellow-footed green-pigeon (en); pombo-verde-de-patas-amarelas (pt); colombar commandeur (fr); vinago patigualdo (es); rotschultertaube (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Columbiformes
Family Columbidae

Range:
These birds occurs from eastern Pakistan, throughout India and Bangladesh, and into Nepal and Bhutan, southern China, Thailand and Vietnam.

Size:
They are 33-35 cm long.

Habitat:
This species is found in moist tropical forests, but also in degraded former forests, dry scrublands, rural gardens and within urban areas.

Diet:
Yellow-legged green-pigeons feed on a wide variety of fruits, including several Ficus, but also seeds, buds and shoots. They are known to eat maize, taking the grain directly from the stalks.

Breeding:
These birds breed in March-July. The nest is built by both sexes, consisting of a thin platform of small twigs criss-crossed over each other. It is placed on an horizontal branch, usually not very far from the ground in a small tree or sapling but sometimes up to 15 m above the ground. The female lays 1-2 shiny white eggs, which are incubated by both sexes for 20-24 days. The chicks fledge 10-13 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as common and widespread.
The population is suspected to be increasing as ongoing habitat degradation is creating new areas of suitable habitat.