Pale-vented Pigeon - BirdForum Opus

Subspecies tobagensis
Photo © by DABS
Tobago, 27 January 2017

Patagioenas cayennensis

Identification

Subspecies sylvestris
Photo © by Wes Syposz
Chapada dos Guimarães, Mato Grosso, Brazil, 15 May 2007

25·5–26·5 cm (10-10½ in)
Male

• Grey face
• Greyish-white throat
• Darker pinkish-grey head, upperparts and breast
• Iridescent green nape and hindcrown
  

Female similar but duller. Juveniles are greyish-brown.

Similar Species

It is similar to Ruddy Pigeon and Plumbeous Pigeons, but both of those species have a darker, more uniform plumage, and prefer intact forests rather than river edges. Peruvian Pigeon is similar but has a bicolored bill and pale eyes. See also Scaled Pigeon.

Distribution

Southern Mexico south through Central and South America to Bolivia and northern Argentina and on Tobago and Trinidad.

Taxonomy

Formerly included in the genus Columba.

Subspecies

Clements¹ recognizes six subspecies: P. c. pallidicrissa:

• Gulf lowlands of south-eastern Mexico to northern Colombia

P. c. occidentalis

• western Colombia (west of the Andes), western Ecuador, and extreme northwestern Peru (northeastern Tumbes)

P. c. andersoni:

• South East Colombia and eastern Ecuador to Brazil north of the Amazon

P. c. tobagensis:

• Trinidad and Tobago

P. c. cayennensis:

• Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana

P. c. sylvestris:

• East Peru to Brazil south of the Amazon, Paraguay and northern Argentina

Habitat

Humid forest edges, riverbanks, marshy savanna and other partially open areas with some trees.

Behaviour

They are a fairly solitary bird, but may form small flocks at drinking areas.

Breeding

They build a small twiggy nest in a small tree, and normally laying a single white egg.

Diet

Diet consists of small fruits, berries and seed.

References

1. 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/
2. Restall et al. 2006. Birds of Northern South America. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300124156
3. Baptista, L.F., Trail, P.W., Horblit, H.M. & Boesman, P. (2019). Pale-vented Pigeon (Patagioenas cayennensis). 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/54135 on 27 June 2019).
4. Chalkowski, K. (2013). Pale-vented Pigeon (Patagioenas cayennensis), version 1.0. In Neotropical Birds Online (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/nb.pavpig2.01

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Pale-vented Pigeon. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 16 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Pale-vented_Pigeon

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