Speckled pigeon: Difference between revisions

Speckled pigeon
	Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Columbiformes
Family:	Columbidae
Genus:	Columba
Species:	C. guinea
Binomial name
	Columba guinea; Linnaeus, 1758

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The speckled pigeon (Columba guinea), also African rock pigeon or Guinea pigeon, is a pigeon that is a resident breeding bird in much of Africa south of the Sahara. It is a common and widespread species in open habitats over much of its range, although there are sizable gaps in its distribution. It is sometimes referred to as the Guinea pigeon due to its similar coloring to some species of guineafowl.

Taxonomy

In 1747 the English naturalist George Edwards included a description and an illustration of the speckled pigeon in the second volume of his A Natural History of Uncommon Birds. His hand-coloured etching was made from two live birds at the home of the Duke of Richmond in London. Edwards was told that the pigeons had been brought from the inland region of Guinea in West Africa.^[2] When in 1758 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the tenth edition, he placed the speckled pigeon with all the other pigeons in the genus Columba. Linnaeus included a brief description, coined the binomial name Columba guinea and cited Edwards' work.^[3]

There are two recognised subspecies:^[4]

C. g. guinea Linnaeus, 1758 – Mauritania to Ethiopia south to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and northern Malawi
C. g. phaeonota Gray, G.R., 1856 – southwestern Angola to Zimbabwe and South Africa

Description

This is a large pigeon at 41 cm in length. Its back and wings are rufous, the latter heavily speckled with white spots. The rest of the upperparts and underparts are blue-grey, and the head is grey with red patches around the eye. The neck is brownish, streaked with white, and the legs are red. Sexes are similar, but immatures are browner than adults and lack the red eye patches. The call is a loud doo-doo-doo.

Behaviour and ecology

The speckled pigeon is frequently seen around human habitation and cultivation. Most of its food is vegetable, and it gathers in large numbers where grain or groundnuts are available. This species builds a large stick nest on protected rocky outcrops and in urban areas often atop covered pergola pillars and on flat roofs under deep eaves and lays two white eggs. Its flight is quick, with regular beats and an occasional sharp flick of the wings that are characteristic of pigeons in general.

C. g. guinea, Lake Baringo, Kenya
C. g. bradfieldi, Damaraland, Namibia
C. g. phaeonota with chick in nest, Cape Town, South Africa.
Eggs, Collection Museum Wiesbaden

References

^ BirdLife International (2017). "Columba guinea". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T22690080A118855992. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T22690080A118855992.en. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
^ Edwards, George (1747). A Natural History of Uncommon Birds. Vol. Part II. London: Printed for the author, at the College of Physicians. p. 75.
^ Linnaeus, Carl (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1 (10th ed.). Holmiae:Laurentii Salvii. p. 163.
^ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (July 2021). "Pigeons". IOC World Bird List Version 11.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 9 October 2021.

Birds of the Gambia by Barlow, Wacher and Disley, ISBN 1-873403-32-1

External links

(Rock Pigeon = ) Speckled Pigeon - Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds.
Speckled Pigeon: Breed Guide - Pigeonpedia

[iucn_status_13_November_2021-1] BirdLife International (2017). "Columba guinea". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T22690080A118855992. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T22690080A118855992.en. Retrieved 13 November 2021.

[2] Edwards, George (1747). A Natural History of Uncommon Birds. Vol. Part II. London: Printed for the author, at the College of Physicians. p. 75.

[3] Linnaeus, Carl (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1 (10th ed.). Holmiae:Laurentii Salvii. p. 163.

[ioc-4] Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (July 2021). "Pigeons". IOC World Bird List Version 11.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 9 October 2021.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{short description|Species of bird}}
 {{speciesbox
 | name = Speckled pigeon
+| image = Speckledpigeon.JPG
+| image_caption= Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa
 | status = LC
 | status_system = IUCN3.1
-| status_ref = <ref>{{IUCN|id=22690080 |title=''Columba guinea'' |assessor=BirdLife International |assessor-link=BirdLife International |version=2013.2 |year=2012 |accessdate=26 November 2013}}</ref>
+| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 13 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2017 |title=''Columba guinea'' |volume=2017 |page=e.T22690080A118855992 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T22690080A118855992.en |access-date=13 November 2021}}</ref>
-| image = Speckledpigeon.JPG
-| image_caption= On Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa
-| image_width = 300px
 | genus = Columba
 | species = guinea
@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 }}
-The '''speckled pigeon''' (''Columba guinea''), or '''(African) rock pigeon,''' is a [[Dove|pigeon]] that is a resident breeding bird in much of [[Africa]] south of the [[Sahara]]. It is a common and widespread species in open habitats over much of its range, although there are sizable gaps in its distribution.
+The '''speckled pigeon''' ('''''Columba guinea'''''), also '''African rock pigeon''' or '''Guinea pigeon''', is a [[Dove|pigeon]] that is a resident breeding bird in much of [[Africa]] south of the [[Sahara]]. It is a common and widespread species in open habitats over much of its range, although there are sizable gaps in its distribution.  It is sometimes referred to as the Guinea pigeon due to its similar coloring to some species of [[guineafowl]].
+==Taxonomy==
-This species builds a large stick nest on protected rocky outcrops and in urban areas often atop covered pergola pillars and on flat roofs under deep eaves and lays two white [[egg (biology)|eggs]]. Its flight is quick, with regular beats and an occasional sharp flick of the wings that are characteristic of pigeons in general.
+In 1747 the English naturalist [[George Edwards (naturalist)|George Edwards]] included a description and an illustration of the speckled pigeon in the second volume of his ''A Natural History of Uncommon Birds''. His hand-coloured etching was made from two live birds at the home of the [[Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond|Duke of Richmond]] in London. Edwards was told that the pigeons had been brought from the inland region of Guinea in West Africa.<ref>{{ cite book | last=Edwards | first=George | author-link=George Edwards (naturalist) | year=1747 | title=A Natural History of Uncommon Birds | volume=Part II | place=London | publisher=Printed for the author, at the College of Physicians | page=75 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/50240777 }}</ref> When in 1758 the Swedish naturalist [[Carl Linnaeus]] updated his ''[[Systema Naturae]]'' for the [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|tenth edition]], he placed the speckled pigeon with all the other pigeons in the [[genus]] ''[[Columba (genus)|Columba]]''. Linnaeus included a brief description, coined the [[binomial name]] ''Columba guinea'' and cited Edwards' work.<ref>{{cite book | last=Linnaeus | first=Carl | author-link=Carl Linnaeus | year=1758 | title= Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis | volume= 1 | edition=10th | page=163 | publisher=Holmiae:Laurentii Salvii | language=Latin | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/727070 }}</ref>
+There are two recognised [[subspecies]]:<ref name=ioc>{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela Rasmussen | date= July 2021 | title=Pigeons | work=IOC World Bird List Version 11.2 | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/pigeons/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | accessdate=9 October 2021 }}</ref>
-This is a large pigeon at 41&nbsp;cm in length. Its back and wings are rufous, the latter heavily speckled with white spots. The rest of the upperparts and underparts are blue-grey, and the head is grey with red patches around the eye. The neck is brownish, streaked with white, and the legs are red. The call is a loud  ''doo-doo-doo''.
+* ''C. g. guinea'' [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1758 – Mauritania to Ethiopia south to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and northern Malawi
+* ''C. g. phaeonota'' [[George Robert Gray|Gray, G.R.]], 1856 – southwestern Angola to Zimbabwe and South Africa
+[[File:Nest box for Columba guinea in Zerfenti.jpg|thumb|right|Nest box for ''Columba guinea'' in the wall of a homestead in [[Zerfenti]], ([[Ethiopia]])]]
-Sexes are similar, but immatures are browner than adults and lack the red eye patches.
+==Description==
-The speckled pigeon is frequently seen around human habitation and cultivation. Most of its food is vegetable, and it gathers in large numbers where grain or groundnuts are available.
+This is a large pigeon at 41&nbsp;cm in length. Its back and wings are rufous, the latter heavily speckled with white spots. The rest of the upperparts and underparts are blue-grey, and the head is grey with red patches around the eye. The neck is brownish, streaked with white, and the legs are red. Sexes are similar, but immatures are browner than adults and lack the red eye patches. The call is a loud  ''doo-doo-doo''.
-<gallery mode = packed heights = 130px>
+==Behaviour and ecology==
+The speckled pigeon is frequently seen around human habitation and cultivation. Most of its food is vegetable, and it gathers in large numbers where grain or groundnuts are available. This species builds a large stick nest on protected rocky outcrops and in urban areas often atop covered pergola pillars and on flat roofs under deep eaves and lays two white [[egg (biology)|eggs]]. Its flight is quick, with regular beats and an occasional sharp flick of the wings that are characteristic of pigeons in general.
+<gallery mode="packed" heights="130px">
 Speckled pigeon (Columba guinea guinea).jpg|''C. g. guinea'', [[Lake Baringo]], [[Kenya]]
-Speckled Pigeon (Columba guinea) & chick.JPG|with chick in nest
+Speckled pigeon (Columba guinea bradfieldi).jpg|''C. g. bradfieldi'', [[Damaraland]], [[Namibia]]
+Speckled Pigeon (Columba guinea) & chick.JPG|''C. g. phaeonota'' with chick in nest, [[Cape Town]], [[South Africa]].
 Columba guinea MWNH 0547.JPG|Eggs, Collection [[Museum Wiesbaden]]
 </gallery>
 == References ==
 {{Reflist}}
+{{refbegin}}
-* ''Birds of The Gambia'' by Barlow, Wacher and Disley, {{ISBN|1-873403-32-1}}
+* ''Birds of the Gambia'' by Barlow, Wacher and Disley, {{ISBN|1-873403-32-1}}
+{{refend}}
 == External links ==
+{{Commons}}
 * (Rock Pigeon = ) Speckled Pigeon - [http://sabap2.adu.org.za/docs/sabap1/349.pdf Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds].
+* [https://pigeonpedia.com/speckled-pigeon/ Speckled Pigeon: Breed Guide - Pigeonpedia]
+{{Taxonbar|from=Q855618}}
-{{commons}}
-{{taxonbar}}
-{{DEFAULTSORT:pigeon, speckled}}
 [[Category:Columba (genus)|speckled pigeon]]
 [[Category:Birds of Sub-Saharan Africa]]
 [[Category:Birds described in 1758|speckled pigeon]]
+[[Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus|speckled pigeon]]