- Didunculus strigirostris
Identification
Length:34cm Wingspan: 66cm Description: (Size of Rock Dove/Feral Pigeon). Appears bigger due to build. Stocky, with a large, hooked bill. Lower mandible has two teeth which overlap the upper. Plumage is chestnut, although the head and belly are greenish. Bill has a red/orange base, which pales to a yellowish tip. Bare reddish-ochre skin around eyes.
Distribution
Status: IUCN classes it as Endangered. Has disappeared from much of its former haunts. Endemic to Savaii and 'Upolu Islands. Has not been seen on offshore islands for some time. It seems to have suffered from hunting and cyclone damage. It is currently a conservation flagship species.
Taxonomy
Family: Genus: Classified as a pigeon, this is the only species of the Didunculus genus. Interestingly, Didunculus means "little dodo". It is believed that this pigeon is a close link between modern developed pigeons and the extinct Dodo.
Habitat
Confined to Samoan rainforests. Requires areas with no human interference. Since it feeds almost exclusively on Dysoxylum Spp. Mahagony trees, it lives where these trees are present. Prefers thick cover. It's heavy bill seems to have evolved to crack these seeds open.
==Behaviour== Very shy and elusive. Captive birds do not do well, and are aggressive to other birds. Prefers native Dysoxylum spp. (bill can saw through seeds). May be overlooked, but natives attest that it is increasingly scarce since the cyclones.
Voice: Low, booming co-OO, which is repeated slowly. Occasionally the second syllable is higher pitched.
