- Treron calva
Treron calvus
Identification
25–30 cm (9¾-11¾ in)
- Grey-green to yellowish-green upperparts
- Yellow thighs
- Mauve patches on the top of the wing
- White-tipped red bill
- Red feet
Variations
Both subspecies salvadorii and gibberifrons have large red ceres; however, the one belonging to gibberifrons, as well as being even larger, is also brighter.
Distribution
Widespread in sub-Saharan Africa
Western Africa: Mauritania, Senegambia, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo, Angola
Eastern Africa: Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi
Southern Africa: Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe
South Africa: KwaZulu-Natal, eSwatini to eastern Cape Province
African Islands: Gulf of Guinea Islands, Bioko (Fernando Po), Sao Tome, Principe
Taxonomy
Subspecies
Treron calvus has 15 subspecies:[1]
- T. c. nudirostris
- Senegal to Gambia and Guinea-Bissau
- T. c. sharpei
- Sierra Leone to southern Nigeria and northern Cameroon
- T. c. calvus
- T. c. poensis
- T. c. virescens:
- Principe Island (Gulf of Guinea)
- T. c. uellensis
- T. c. brevicera
- T. c. salvadorii
- T. c. gibberifrons:
- T. c. wakefieldii
- T. c. schalowi
- T. c. ansorgei
- Western Angola
- T. c. vylderi
- North-western Namibia
- T. c. delalandii
- Coastal from southern Tanzania to south-eastern South Africa
- T. c. granti
The last two subspecies are sometimes separated as Grey-breasted Green-Pigeon
Subspecies damarensis and chobiensis are no longer recognised and have been included in T. c. schalowi. Additionally, subspecies granviki is now subsumed into T. c. gibberifrons, and orientalis into *T. c. delalandii.
Habitat
Forests, bushveld, savanna; always associated with fruiting trees, especially figs.
Behaviour
Arboreal.
Diet
The diet consists almost entirely of fruit and berries, particularly figs.
Breeding
The nest is a frail platform of coarse twigs and leaves. 1-2 eggs are laid and incubated for 13 days.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Africa Bird Guide
- BF Member observations
- Baptista, L.F., Trail, P.W., Horblit, H.M., Kirwan, G.M. & Garcia, E.F.J. (2018). African Green-pigeon (Treron calvus). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/54300 on 13 December 2018).
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) African Green Pigeon. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 22 November 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/African_Green_Pigeon
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1