The Largest Pigeon..

Re: The Largest Pigeon..

Bird: Mountain Imperial Pigeon (Ducula badia) (Burung Pergam).

Loc: F.H Malaysia.

Date: 1011 .

Tag:  strictly for record & info sharing purposes only .

88 572 ++ hits & counting - since Jan 2011..many thanks..

 Mountain Imperial Pigeon (Ducula badia)

The Mountain Imperial Pigeon (Ducula badia) is a species of bird in the Columbidae family. It also sometimes called the Maroon-backed Imperial Pigeon or Hodgson's Imperial Pigeon.^[1]

It is found in Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical mangrove forests, and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It may be found from sea-level to elevations of 2,550 m (8,370 ft) in the Himalayas and 2,200 m (7,200 ft) on Sumatra. Being mainly a foothill bird, they probably only breed above an elevation of 500 m (1,600 ft), although feeding flocks below this are common. They usually only occur in old-growth forests.

The Mountain Imperial Pigeon is the largest pigeon species in its range at 43–51 cm (17–20 in) long.^[1] It has a fairly long tail, broad, rounded wings and slow wing-beats. The head, neck and underparts are a vinous-gray color with a contrasting white throat and brownish-maroon upperparts and wings, though the upper part of the body can range to a duller color. The underwing is slate-gray and the tail is blackish with a gray line horizontal line. The combination of colors, especially the maroon back, and the large size render this species fairly distinctive. Its call consists of a deep, resonant boom that is only detectable at close range.

Though usually solitary, this species has been seen in groups numbering up to 20, especially when going to roost or flying up or down in mountains. They can be difficult to see, since they spend their time usually in high canopy and usually fly fairly high over the canopy. They feed on fruits and berries, especially figs and nutmeg, which are plucked and swallowed whole. They will occasionally go to the ground to drink, as in Bornean mangroves where up to 200 or 300 of these pigeons have been flushed at once. There may be a partial altitudinal movement in some parts of their range, in pursuit of ideal feeding conditions. During the breeding display, calling birds puff up their throats considerably while singing and bow to potential mates. Then the displaying bird engages in a vertical flight up from the perch, up 6 to 8 m (20 to 26 ft) into the air, and then glide back down with wings and tail widely spread. In the Northern stretches of the species range, breeding is from March to August, while in the southern parts of India and southeast Asia, they breed from January to May. The nest is usually in a fairly small tree, about 5 to 8 m (16 to 26 ft) off the ground, and is a flimsy platiform. One or, rarely, two eggs are laid and both parents incubate. They only leave the nest if highly pressured. The species is generally fairly common where extensive forest stands.

                                                                                                   From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 

The Largest Pigeon..FH Msia....more to come...
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