Wedge-tailed Green-Pigeon Treron sphenurus Scientific name definitions

30–33 cm; 205–214 g. Head , neck and underparts bright yellowish-green, becoming coppery gold on crown and breast; breast feathers are salmon-pink, being golden only at tips; flanks and vent streaked pale yellowish and dark green; long undertail-coverts pale yellowish chestnut; hindneck bright green becoming vinous grey on upper mantle; inner wing-coverts and varying amount of scapulars and mantle dark purplish chestnut; rest of upperparts dark green or grey-green; outer secondaries and primaries blackish, with narrow yellow fringes to greater-coverts, secondaries and primaries; tail bluntly wedge-shaped; central tail feathers concolorous with back; outer ones grey with blackish subterminal band; undertail light grey; orbital skin light blue; bill light blue at base, whitish blue or greyish at tip; feet bright red or deep pink. Female has head and breast entirely pale yellowish green, and upperparts dark green, lacking maroon and golden colours of male; undertail-coverts pale yellow with dark green central stripes. Juvenile much like adult female but duller; young male often acquires some maroon feathers before fully grown. Race delacouri smaller with darker green upperparts and maroon shoulder patch restricted to lesser coverts; underparts duller and undertail-coverts deeper rufous; robinsoni smaller and darker, male usually with little golden colour on head and breast; korthalsi has darker golden breast in male, and has upperparts of duller, more olive green.

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Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Forests and second growth; primarily in broad-leafed forests of oak, elm, laurel and rhododendron; found in plains, foothills and mountains, at 1000–3000 m in India and Indochina; 1400–3000 m in Sumatra and Java (where usually at higher elevations than T. oxyurus); and 1220–2900 m on Lombok.

Generally resident, with local nomadic or altitudinal migratory movements, especially in N parts of breeding range. Flight swift and noisy.

Frugivorous, taking a variety of fruits and berries, including figs and mulberries (Moraceae), Myrica (Myricaceae), Vaccinium, Rhododendron, Eurya and Schefflera. Feeds acrobatically in canopy, often hanging upside-down to reach fruit on small twigs; visits the ground to pick up earth at salt-licks; occurs singly, in pairs and commonly in small flocks of 6–15 birds.

A rhythmic sequence of melodious whistles, with the complete song lasting c. 10 seconds. Typical pattern is three whistles, followed by a series of accelerating short notes, and ending with three drawn-out whistles with shifting frequency “whooo...whoooo...whoo...whu-whu-wuwuwuwu..whoou..uwhoo..whohoohoo”.

Season Apr–Aug in N India. Can raise more than 1 brood in a year in some areas, e.g. Assam. Nest is a frail platform of twigs, usually 6 m or more up, though sometimes much lower; nest placed close to trunk on a large branch; in India, frequently nests in conifers; nest often placed near an active drongo (Dicrurus) nest, presumably to benefit from the aggressive defence provided by these species. Lays 1–2 white eggs; incubation, by both sexes, probably 18–19 days in wild. In captivity: incubation 14 days or less; fledging 12 days.

Not globally threatened. Common in Himalayan foothills. A rare resident in Bangladesh (3 Thompson, P. M., S. U. Chowdhury, E. Ul Haque, M. M. H. Khan, and R. Halder (2014). Notable bird records from Bangladesh from July 2002 to July 2013. Forktail 30:50–65. Close ). Uncommon to locally common in Thailand, where considered to be commonest green-pigeon in hill forests. Widespread in S Vietnam. Reported to be locally common in Sumatra (Barisan Range from Mt Sibayak to Mt Dempu), less so in Java.