This species has declined rapidly in the past, probably as a result of changing agricultural practice and hunting in its wintering grounds, and possibly habitat loss in its breeding grounds, and this decline is projected to continue. These factors qualify it as Vulnerable in the IUCN red list It breeds in southern Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, north-east Iran and extreme north-west China. It winters in north-east Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir and Jorbeer, Bikaner
This species is classified as Near Threatened in the IUCN Red List as their numbers in the wild are on the decline. These birds are captured for food, pet trade and their gizzard stones which are used to make jewellery. Their distribution is also being affected by habitat loss as the islands which they inhabit are being cleared for plantations, and also being colonized by rats, cats and other alien predators.
Trichomonas also called pigeon diphtheria, is caused by Trichomonas columbae,a single-celled flagellated protozoan parasite.Many older birds are asymptomatic carriers of the disease,but juveniles that get the disease via the crop milk usually die. Most pigeons live with canker at sub-clinical levels, and this is not considered dangerous.
Symptoms include yellow, cheesy,button-like lesions on the cells in the mouth, esophagus, and crop.Infected pigeons become lethargic sit with feathers fluffed up, and have serious digestive problems, including diarrhea.They quickly lose weight and drink profusely
There are oral,navel, and organ forms of disease , which can appear 4 to 14 days from infection. In the oral form the yellow, cheesy lesions may invade the wind pipe and crop causing the bird to gape, and creating difficulty with breathing,eating and potentially with drinking . The navel form appears as a cheese-like crumbly swelling under the skin around the navel and develops when canker laden crop milk falls into the nest bowl, infecting the babies unhealed umbilicus in the organ form the previous forms can infect various internal organs leaving visible lesions
Treatment:Clean the throat with a pigeon feather and give Flagyl-25 mg (powdered) to the
infected pigeon.Other medicines are also available for treating canker refer the below link to know more information
DOSAGE:
25 mg for 3 days depending on the degree of the illness. If it is a severe case,
dosage is to be increased but it should not exceed 100 mg in any case
