African Green Pigeon

Subspecies T. c. wakefieldii
Photo © by juninho
Ulu, Kenya, 29 July 2005

Treron calva

Treron calvus

Identification

Subspecies T. c. gibberifrons
Photo © by volker sthamer
Entebbe, Uganda, 21 July 2018

25–30 cm (9¾-11¾ in)

• Grey-green to yellowish-green upperparts
• Yellow thighs
• Mauve patches on the top of the wing
• White-tipped red bill
• Red feet

Variations

Both subspecies salvadorii and gibberifrons have large red ceres; however, the one belonging to gibberifrons, as well as being even larger, is also brighter.

Distribution

Widespread in sub-Saharan Africa
Western Africa: Mauritania, Senegambia, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo, Angola
Eastern Africa: Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi
Southern Africa: Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe
South Africa: KwaZulu-Natal, Swaziland
African Islands: Gulf of Guinea Islands, Bioko (Fernando Po), Sao Tome, Principe

Taxonomy

Subspecies T. c. nudirostris
Photo © by Reini
Lamin fields, The Gambia, November 2005

Subspecies

Treron calvus has 16 subspecies:^[1]

• T. c. nudirostris

• Senegal to Gambia and Guinea-Bissau

• T. c. sharpei

• Sierra Leone to southern Nigeria and northern Cameroon

• T. c. calvus

• Eastern Nigeria to north-eastern DRC, central Angola and Príncipe.

• T. c. poensis

• Bioko

• T. c. virescens:

• Principe Island (Gulf of Guinea)

• T. c. uellensis

• Northern Zaire to southern Sudan and Uganda

• T. c. brevicera

• South-western Ethiopia to northern Tanzania east of the Rift Valley

• T. c. salvadorii

• Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi to eastern DRC

• T. c. gibberifrons:

• South-eastern South Sudan south to the Lake Victoria Basin in Uganda, Rwanda, western Burundi, western Kenya, and north-western Tanzania

• T. c. wakefieldii

• Coastal Kenya and north-western Tanzania

• T. c. orientalis

• Southern Tanzania and northern Mozambique

• T. c. schalowi

• Eastern Angola, north-eastern Namibia, northern Botswana, and north-western Zimbabwe

• T. c. ansorgei

• Western Angola

• T. c. vylderi

• North-western Namibia

• T. c. delalandii

• Coastal Kenya to south-eastern South Africa

• T. c. granti

• Lowlands of eastern Tanzania and Zanzibar

The last two subspecies are sometimes separated as Grey-breasted Green-Pigeon

Subspecies damarensis and chobiensis are no longer recognised and have been included in T. c. schalowi. Additionally, subspecies granviki is now subsumed into T. c. gibberifrons.

Habitat

Forests, bushveld, savanna; always associated with fruiting trees, especially figs.

Behaviour

Arboreal.

Diet

The diet consists almost entirely of fruit and berries, particularly figs.

Breeding

The nest is a frail platform of coarse twigs and leaves. 1-2 eggs are laid and incubated for 13 days.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Avibase
3. Africa Bird Guide
4. BF Member observations
5. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved December 2018)

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) African Green Pigeon. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 18 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/African_Green_Pigeon

External Links

Search for photos of African Green Pigeon in the gallery