Pink Pigeon Nesoenas mayeri Scientific name definitions

40 cm; male 315 g, female 291 g. Face and forehead white merging into soft light pink on rest of head, neck and underparts ; upper mantle brownish pink; belly creamy buff; wings dark brown; a narrow band across mantle same color; outer webs of primaries edged rufous; upper back dusky pink; rump pale grey merging into chestnut of uppertail coverts; tail bright chestnut but outermost rectrices pinkish gray with hints of chestnut; iris white to pale yellow; orbital skin reddish pink; bill reddish pink, white-tipped, deep red above nostrils; legs pinkish red. Female duller, rump admixed with brown. Juvenile darker and duller, with feathers buff-tipped, bill and legs dusky purplish grey, rump apricot; iris dark brown.

Sometimes placed in genus Columba, but behavioral studies suggest affinities with Streptopelia; genetic work (1 Johnson, K. P., S. de Kort, K. Dinwoodey, A. C. Mateman, C. ten Cate, C. M. Lessells, and D. H. Clayton (2001). A molecular phylogeny of the dove genera Streptopelia and Columba. Auk 118(4):874–887. Close , 2 Dickinson, E. C., and J. V. Remsen, Editors (2013). The Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. Fourth edition. Volume 1. Aves Press, Eastbourne, UK. Close ) confirms close relationship with Malagasy Turtle-Dove (Nesoenas picturatus). Extinct subspecies duboisi of Reunion, known only from two bones (3 Hume, J. P. (2011). Systematics, morphology, and ecology of pigeons and doves (Aves: Columbidae) of the Mascarene Islands, with three new species. Zootaxa 3124:1–62. Close ), has sometimes been considered a separate species; Mourer-Chauviré et al. (4 Mourer-Chauviré, C., R. Bour, S. Ribes, and F. Moutou (1999). The avifauna of Réunion Island (Mascarene Islands) at the time of the arrival of the first Europeans. Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology 89:1–38. Close ) considered duboisi distinct on account of the longer humerus, but this only falls slightly outside the range of nominate mayeri, and all other measurements fall within the range of mayeri. There were probably at least two other native pigeons on Reunion: one unidentified blue-winged dove and one Alectroenas. Further archaeological material is needed to clarify their taxonomic status.

Two subspecies currently recognized.

Based on a molecular phylogeny using mitochondrial DNA sequence data, Nesoenas mayeri appears to be sister to Malagasy Turtle-Dove (Nesoenas picturatus). Together, these two species appear to be sister to Spotted Dove (Spilopelia chinensis) and Laughing Dove (Spilopelia senegalensis) (1 Johnson, K. P., S. de Kort, K. Dinwoodey, A. C. Mateman, C. ten Cate, C. M. Lessells, and D. H. Clayton (2001). A molecular phylogeny of the dove genera Streptopelia and Columba. Auk 118(4):874–887. Close ).

Mauritius.

Extinct population known from Reunion Island from description of a rusty-red pigeon given by Dubois in 1674, and a subfossil humerus.

Includes low montane wet forest, dwarf climax forest and low-canopied upland forest. Present species once ranged widely over the whole island, including lowlands, as evidenced by subfossils; today found only above 300 m. Two populations extant, one in an exotic grove of Cryptomeria japonica on a scarp below Plaine Paul, and a second at Brise Fer. Pockets of native vegetation are to be found on the scarp where Calophyllum, Sideroxylon puberulum, Labourdonnaisia glauca and Syzygium are dominant plants.

Widely spread out over range during the day; and birds commonly make trips of 6–8 km from roosting sites in search of food.

Source: Pink Pigeon

Although recorded feeding on c. 50 plant species, only a few species comprise bulk of diet, including Nuxia verticillata, Aphloia theiformis, Erythrospermum monticolum, Lantana camara, Pittosporum senacia and Diospyros; the first three of these are widely distributed and probably provide most of the diet biomass for most of the year. Species has adapted to seasonal availability of different food items; observed feeding on flowers of Antidesma madagaskariense and leaves of Tabernaemontana mauritiana Sept–Dec; but flowers of Nuxia verticillata and fruits of Aphloia theiformis eaten Jan–Apr. Moderately long bill with hooked tip enables species to pluck flowers and fruits off vegetation, as well as rip off leaves  ; may grip with strong feet and hang upside down; also feeds on leaves and seeds of grasses, and searches the ground  for seeds and fallen fruit; invertebrates also taken, and one bird was seen attempting to catch tadpoles. Feeds both on the ground and in trees and shrubs; usually forages alone, in pairs or family groups.

Source: Pink Pigeon

Advertising call a repeated, overslurred, low-pitched coo preceded by a short introductory note, cu...cooOOoo... cu...cooOOoo.... Resembles Malagasy Turtle-Dove (Nesoenas picturatus) but long cooing note symmetrically rises and falls in pitch and amplitude. Long cooing note may also sound slightly gruffer or has gruff terminus: cu...cooOOoo-arh... cu...cooOOoo-arh.... Flight call a short nasal nyeh, often repeated twice.

During flight, wings produce characteristic metallic trumpeting sound.

Wild birds tend to start breeding in December, with peak in January–June; breeding decreases during drier months, with few or no birds breeding August–November; food availability following summer rains triggers breeding activity. Captive birds held on Mauritius breed throughout year, with no peak season. Nest placed 4–15 m above the ground, and consists of sticks lined with finer twigs; most nest material in 20 nests examined consisted of privet (Ligustrum robustum), as well as twigs of native trees; nest material may be broken from the ends of branches or taken from the ground; many nests were found to be quite substantially built, approximately 30–35 cm in diameter and 8 cm deep; nest tends to be close to the tree trunk, where often surrounded by dense foliage; an early observer described nests placed in tree-holes, and this may have been far commoner in the pristine forests of the past. Usually 2 eggs, sometimes only 1; incubation 13–15 days; fledging 18–22 days; crop milk comprises the nestlings' diet for the first 3 days; leaves are added on 4th day, and seeds, tender leaves, flowers and fruit added on 5th or 6th days after hatching.

VULNERABLE. Has been steadily downlisted from Critically Endangered by BirdLife International, as a result of its population responding well to intensive conservation action. Nevertheless, destruction of forests has severely reduced suitable habitat. In May 1994, free-living population on Mauritius numbered 77 individuals, but has numbered more than 300 individuals since 2000. These comprise six established subpopulations, five in Black River Gorges National Park and one on Îles Aigrettes. Total numbers of wild birds by 2013 were estimated at 370–380 individuals (5 Jones, C. G., M. D. Burgess, J. J. Groombridge, R. Dale, V. Tatayah, N. Zuel, and M. A. C. Nicoll (2013). Pink Pigeon. In: Safford, R. J.; Hawkins, A. F. A. (ed.), The Birds of Africa. Vol. VIII: The Malagasy Region, pp. 484-489. Christopher Helm, London. Close ). However, limited availability of native feeding habitat is a primary factor restricting further increases in population, which shows high dependence on wheat supplied as supplementary food (6 Edmunds, K., N. Bunbury, S. Sawmy, C. G. Jones, and D. J. Bell (2008). Restoring avian island endemics: use of supplementary food by the endangered Pink Pigeon (Columba mayeri). Emu 108(1):74–80. Close ). The species suffers the effects of low genetic diversity and consequent inbreeding (7 Swinnerton, K. J., J. J. Groombridge, C. G. Jones, R. W. Burn, and Y. Mungroo (2004). Inbreeding depression and founder diversity among captive and free-living populations of the endangered pink pigeon Columba mayeri. Animal Conservation 7(4):353–364. Close ) and the birds are sometimes infected by by protozoan parasites, notably Trichomonas gallinae (8 Swinnerton, K. J., A. G. Greenwood, R. E. Chapman, and C. G. Jones (2005). The incidence of the parasitic disease trichomoniasis and its treatment in reintroduced and wild Pink Pigeons Columba mayeri. Ibis 147(4):772–782. Close , 9 Bunburya, N., C. G. Jones, A. G. Greenwood, and D. J. Bell (2008). Epidemiology and conservation implications of Trichomonas gallinae infection in the endangered Mauritian pink pigeon. Biological Conservation 141(1):153–161. Close ) and Leucocytozoon marchouxi, which may affect survival (10 Swinnerton, K. J., M. A. Peirce, A. Greenwood, R. E. Chapman, and C. G. Jones (2005). Prevalence of Leucocytozoon marchouxi in the endangered Pink Pigeon Columba mayeri Ibis 147(4):725–737. Close ). Captive-breeding program on Jersey (Channel Islands) is showing success; supplementary feeding and rat control are thought to have contributed to the success of the release program. Other zoos, including Bronx in New York, also have captive breeding programs. CITES III in Mauritius.

Reunion subspecies duboisi extinct probably since late 17th century (11 Hume, J. P., and M. P. Walters (2012). Extinct Birds. T. & A. D. Poyser, London, UK. Close ). Black rats (Rattus rattus), following their arrival in 1670s, had reached plague proportions by 1676 (12 Cheke, A.S. and Hume, J.P. (2008). Lost Land of the Dodo: the Ecological History of Mauritius, Reunion and Rodrigues. A&C Black (Poyser imprint), London. Close ), this predator presumably wiping out the pigeon.