Nilgiri Wood Pigeon

Nilgiri wood pigeon is an endemic to the hill-ranges of the Western Ghats, south-west India, occurring from north-west Maharashtra south, through Karnataka and Goa, to southern Kerala and western Tamil Nadu. It was once considered common and widespread, but has undergone a major decline, which is thought to be continuing owing to on-going forest loss. Most recent records come from Kerala and Tamil Nadu, where it still appears to be locally common.Current IUCN Red List category is Vulnerable

Japanese Wood Pigeon

Japanese Wood Pigeon is an uncommon and local resident in Japan, on small islands off southern Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu, south through the Nansei Shoto islands to the Yaeyama Islands and the Izu Islands to the Ogasawara and Iwo Islands . It occurs locally on small islands off the south coast of South Korea, and it has been recorded  in eastern Russia, Shandong, mainland China and Taiwan . Although it is still relatively common on the Izu Islands, it has apparently declined there since the 1950s, and it is thought to have declined on Okinawa during the 1980s because of forestry activities.

Blue headed Quail Dove

The Blue-headed Quail-dove is an endemic terrestrial dove found on the island of Cuba. It is a resident non-migratory species considered to be endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN 2010)

It is a ground dwelling species mainly found on the ground walking through its evergreen and semi-deciduous forest habitat foraging for fruits and arthropods. If not on the ground it will occasionally be found on low perches calling for its mate or will fly up a short distance to flee a predator.Breeding pairs are socially monogamous and defend territories during the breeding season. Nests are usually located on tree trunks and made of loosely placed twigs lined with freshly fallen leaves.

Mindoro Bleeding-heart

The Mindoro bleeding-heart is a type of ground dove native to Mindoro, Philippines,the last confirmed sighting of the Mindoro bleeding-heart in the wild was in 1997.The bird has an extremely small, severely fragmented population which is undergoing a continuing decline owing to lowland forest destruction, combined with hunting and trade.

This medium-sized ground dove is named for the small, yet distinct, orange patch on its whitish breast, although this looks less like a ‘bleeding-heart’ , which have a blood-red patch. Little is known about the Mindoro bleeding-heart. It spends most of its life on the forest floor, concealing itself in dense vegetation, and is therefore very difficult to observe. Its diet is not fully known, but it has been seen feeding at a fruiting fig tree. The nest of the Mindoro bleeding-heart is made of sticks and leaves, lined with fine rootlets and tendrils and situated in a tree or shrub, one or two meters above the ground

Silvery Pigeon

This is 5th blog in the series of wild pigeons, today i have selected a pigeon which was extinct and rediscovered in 2008 . Silvery Pigeon a species of pigeon found in Indonesia and Malaysia .It was thought to be extinct but wild populations were rediscovered in 2008 near Masokut island, this is the first confirmed reports since 1931,However, it is listed as Critically Endangered because it is assumed to have a tiny population

Photo by James Eaton

It lives in mangrove forests and other woodlands in the low-lying offshore islands and adjacent coastal regions. Its plumage is pale silvery grey, with black remiges (or flight feathers) and ends of the tail feathers.Deforestation, especially removal of mangrove forests is the main threat to this bird