Plumbeous Pigeon

About the Plumbeous Pigeon

The plumbeous pigeon (Patagioenas plumbea) is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. The plumbeous pigeon is most closely related to the ruddy pigeon (P. subvinacea), short-billed pigeon (P. nigrirostris), and dusky pigeon (P. goodsoni), and they have sometimes been placed in subgenus Oenoenas. These six subspecies are recognized:

P. p. bogotensis Berlepsch & Leverkühn (1890) P. p. chapmani Ridgway (1916) P. p. pallescens Snethlage (1908) P. p. wallacei C. Chubb (1918) P. p. baeri Hellmayr (1908) P. p. plumbea Vieillot (1818) Vocal differences among and even within the subspecies hint that more than one species may be involved.

The plumbeous pigeon is 34 cm (13 in) long and weighs 172 to 231 g (6.1 to 8.1 oz). Males have a dark gray head, neck, and underparts that sometimes have a pinkish or purplish tinge. The shoulders, back, rump, wings, and tail are dark grayish brown to drab olive. The hindneck sometimes has bronzy spots. The eye is red and surrounded by bare purplish red skin. The female's purplish wash... Wikipedia →