Family Pigeons, Doves (Columbidae)
Least Concern
Red-billed Pigeon (Patagioenas flavirostris)
Taxonomy
French: Pigeon à bec rouge German: Rotschnabeltaube Spanish: Paloma piquirroja
Taxonomy:
Columba flavirostris
Wagler
, 1831,Veracruz, Mexico
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Subspecies and Distribution
P. f. restricta
(van Rossem, 1930) – W Mexico, from WC Sonora to Sinaloa.
P. f. madrensis
(Nelson, 1898) – Tres Marías Is (off WC Mexico).
P. f. flavirostris
(Wagler, 1831) – lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas through SE Sonora, Sierra Madre in Chihuahua, and San Luis Potosí S to Nicaragua and E Costa Rica.
P. f. minima
(Carriker, 1910) – lowlands of Costa Rica about Gulf of Nicoya.
Descriptive notes
Male 32–35 cm, female 30–37 cm; 268–424 g. Head, neck and breast dull purplish, darker on hindneck; chin and upper throat greyish white; back and wings... read more
Voice
Song is a rhythmic series of rather high-pitched coos, typically starting with a single note... read more
Habitat
At N extreme of range, inhabits heavily wooded bottomlands of Rio Grande in Texas; in vicinity of... read more
Food and feeding
Feeds on berries, acorns and buds; in Tres Marías Is, has been recorded taking wild figs (Ficus) and guava (Psidium... read more
Breeding
Season Mar–Aug in Costa Rica. Of 4 nests found in Oaxaca, Mexico, 1·5–2·5 m above ground, one was placed in an... read more
Movements
Resident from Mexico to Honduras. Known to be migratory in places, but precise details lacking;... read more
Status and conservation
Not globally threatened. Clearing of land in 1920s precipitated a decline of this species in Texas, where it is now a rare and protected bird. Common to fairly common... read more
Closely related to P. oenops and P. inornata. Races all rather similar, differing mainly in size; restricta and madrensis sometimes lumped into flavirostris. Four subspecies currently recognized.