Alternative names: Mauritius Pigeon; Mauritius Pink Pigeon
- Nesoenas mayeri
Streptopelia mayeri, Columba mayeri
Identification
40 cm (15¾ in).
- White face and forehead, pink rest of head, neck and underparts
- Reddish pink bill with white tip, deep red above nostrils
- Reddish pink orbital skin
- Brownish pink upper mantle, dark brown wings
- Creamy buff belly
- Chestnut uppertail-coverts and tail
Females are duller and browner. Juveniles are darker and duller.
Distribution
Endemic to Mauritius Island.
Found on Ile aux Aigrettes (off eastern coast) and Black River Gorges in south-west Mauritius Island. Once common but declined to just 10 wild birds in 1990. Since then intensive management has resulted in an increase and in 2011 the population was estimated at 446 birds in six sub-populations.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species.
Malagasy Turtle Dove is sometimes placed in the same genus. The extinct Reunion Pigeon (Nesoenas duboisi) has been considered to be a subspecies of this species.
Habitat
Today restricted to upland evergreen forest above 300 m.
Behaviour
Diet
Their diet consists of buds, flowers, leaves, shoots, fruits and seeds.
Forages on the ground, in trees and in shrubs, usually alone, in pairs or in family groups.
Breeding
Breeding starts in December and peaks from January to June. The nest is a platform made of sticks and twigs. It's placed 4 to 15 m above the ground in a tree, usually close to the tree trunk, well hidden in the foliage. Lays 2 eggs, sometimes only one.
Movements
A resident species. Makes trips of 6 to 8 km during the day in search for food.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Gill, F and D Donsker (Eds). 2015. IOC World Bird Names (version 5.2). Available at http://www.worldbirdnames.org/.
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved July 2015)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Pink Pigeon. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 12 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Pink_Pigeon
