Alternative names: Somali Rock Pigeon; Somali Stock Dove
- Columba oliviae
Identification
28 cm.
- Lavender-grey plumage, brownish tinge on mantle and wings
- Bluer, darker grey lower back and rump
- Black tipped primaries
- Black tail with grey central feather band
- Mauve-pink forehead, crown and nape
- Iridiscent coppery brown patch with green suffusion on hindneck
- Yellow eye with red or purplish red orbital skin
Some birds show wings flecked with black. Sexes similar, juvenile undescribed.
Distribution
Endemic to north and northeast Somalia.
A poorly known restricted-range species.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species.
Forms a superspecies with Yellow-eyed Pigeon, also closely related to Stock Dove.
Habitat
Rocky and sandstone hills and escarpments in arid coastal region.
Occurs up to 800 m.
Behaviour
Diet
Feeds on seeds, cultivated grain and berries. Forages mainly on ground.
Breeding
Nests recorded in May and August. Two found nests were made of dry grass and placed in recesses in cave roofs. Lays one egg.
Movements
Locally migratory, absent from cliffs from May to September.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved July 2014)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Somali Pigeon. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 1 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Somali_Pigeon
