Bolle's laurel pigeon
| Bolle's pigeon | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Columbiformes |
| Family: | Columbidae |
| Genus: | Columba |
| Species: | C. bollii |
| Binomial name | |
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Columba bollii Godman, 1872 |
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Bolle's pigeon (Columba bollii) is a species of the genus Columba of family Columbidae, doves and pigeons, endemic to the Canary Islands, Spain. This bird is named after the German naturalist Carl Bolle, who was the first to distinguish it from the laurel pigeon. This wood pigeon is endemic to the laurel forest habitat.
Larger than the common pigeon, a length of 36 cm to 38 cm. It is a large dark grey pigeon. At 37–40 cm, it looks like a very dark wood pigeon. Its dark grey, rather than brown plumage, and the dark bands on the grey tail distinguish it from the other pigeon endemic to the Canary Islands, the laurel pigeon. It is a basically dark grey bird, with a pinkish breast. It lacks any white markings, which together with its darker plumage distinguishes it from the other species.
With red beak, most intense at the tip. Head relatively large, slate gray, in males, with bluish or greenish metallic side of the neck and back of neck. Eyes rounded, yellow to orange with black pupil and lightly framed by a thin, flesh-colored eye ring. Back, rump and wings brownish gray, which in adult males with metallic blue shoulders. The primary and secondary remiges are blackish brown. The chest, blue-dark gray, stained purple in males. Belly is pale gray pastel. Females, less conspicuous, do not hold the highlights, reflections and metallic hues, and even the colors are more 'gray' and off.
Mainly dark grey with blacker flight feathers and paler grey tail with dark terminal band, hindneck with green and pink gloss and reddish tinge to breast. Only likely to be confused with white-tailed laurel pigeon Columba junoniae or dark feral pigeon. The voice is a guttural mournful cooing. Hints: Look for birds flying low and fast over laurel forest. Its flight is quick, performed by regular beats, with an occasional sharp flick of the wings, characteristic of pigeons in general. It takes off with a loud clattering.
The call is a hoarse cooing.
Breeding occurs in trees especially in February–June. The nest, something more elaborate than those of other pigeons, is built on the upper branches of a tree, with pieces of sticks and twigs, forming the classic platform, which is usually lined with mosses and lichens briefly. It lays one or two eggs. The egg hatch after a shared incubation of eighteen days. Frugivore which eat drupas or fruits of canary bay (Laurus azorica), Madeira mahogany (Persea indica), (Ocotea foetens) and fayanuts of Myrica faya but can consume alternately diverse continental cultives, sweet acorns, hazelnuts, other nuts, berries...
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