Alternative name: Maroon Pigeon
- Columba thomensis
Identification
37-40 cm.
- Dark slate-grey head
- Lanceolate neck feathers
- Deep maroon mantle
- Slaty black back and rump, dark brown uppertail-coverts
- Rich maroon underparts, faint white spotting on belly and flanks
- Yellowish horn bill and yellow legs
Females are similar but duller, they only show some hints of maroon on their breast and wing-coverts but are mostly dark brown.
Juveniles are dark brown and lack the white spotting, their feathers are edged with chestnut.
Distribution
Endemic to São Tomé, extinct on the tiny Isla das Rôlas south of the main island.
An endangered species with a very small range. Hunting and habitat loss are the main factors of the decline of the species which is now only reasonably common in a very small area above 1600 m.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species.
Sometimes considered conspecific with Cameroon Olive Pigeon, African Olive Pigeon and Comoro Olive Pigeon. Speckled Wood Pigeon may also belong to this species group.
Habitat
Primary evergreen forests.
Occurs from sea-level up to 2024 m. On eastern part of island only found above 1300 m.
Behaviour
Diet
Recorded to take berries.
Breeding
No information.
Movements
Presumably a sedentary species.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2014. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.9., with updates to August 2014. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved March 2015)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2023) Sao Tome Olive Pigeon. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 28 November 2023 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Sao_Tome_Olive_Pigeon
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
