The Different Species of Green Pigeon

The Green Pigeon, also known as Treron, is a genus of bird that is categorized under the pigeon family Columbidae. French ornithologist Louis Jean Pierre Viellot first introduced this in 1816 with the Thick-billed Green Pigeon as the type species. Green Pigeons are widely distributed across Africa and Asia. This genus has 29 species, all of which are mostly known for their green coloration. This coloration was said to have come from a carotenoid pigment in their diet, which mainly consists of various nuts, fruits, and seeds.

Green Pigeons are found in a wide range of wooded habitats wherein they reside in trees. Some species in this genus can be further classified into species possessing long tails, wedge-shaped tails, and medium-length tails. Most Green Pigeons are sexually dimorphic, meaning the sexes can be distinguished by different plumage patterns and colors.

Its seven levels of scientific classification are as follows:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Columbiformes

Family: Columbidae

Subfamily: Treroninae

Genus: Treron

The behavior of Green Pigeons

A Green Pigeon can be spotted living in groups or with its mating pair. Back in the day, it prefers to live in a wild environment that’s far away from suburban and urban areas. But today, Green Pigeons can be spotted on the outskirts of towns and suburban areas with humans.

How does Green Pigeons build nests?

Like most bird species, Green Pigeons collect twigs, little branches, and other plant materials to assemble their nests. The nest’s height is approximately 12-20 ft high on trees that camouflage with their color. This is used to trick predators who wish to prey upon the eggs and chicks.

A female Green Pigeon will lay eggs 4-5 days after assembling the nest. These eggs will be incubated for 15-17 days. After hatching, both parents will take responsibility in feeding the chicks.

The different species of Green Pigeon

As was mentioned before, 29 species are categorized under this genus. Some of which are the following:

Thick-billed Green Pigeon – The Thick-billed Green Pigeon is a small-sized pigeon with a thick, pale greenish bill with a red base. It has black primary wings and secondaries with yellow edges. Its thighs are dark green with white scales. A female Thick-billed Green Pigeon has greenish undertail coverts, whereas a male has maroon dorsum and sheer chestnut undertail coverts. This bird species ranges across Asia, particularly in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Philippines, Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia, and other Southeast Asian countries.

Cinnamon-headed Green Pigeon – This bird species is commonly found in the subtropical mangrove forests, swamps, shrublands, and rural gardens of Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, and Singapore.

Madagascan Green Pigeon – This bird species is endemic to Madagascar, Mayotte, and Comoros. It frequents a wide range of habitats such as subtropical or tropical dry forest and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. This species was first described in 1760 by Mathurin Jacques Brisson. Two subspecies have been recognized:

1. a. xenius – Found in west Madagascar
2. a. australis – Found in east Madagasca

African Green Pigeon – One of the five species of Green Pigeon in the Afrotropics, the African Green Pigeon is commonly found in Sub-Saharan Africa. The African Green Pigeon is probably the most distributed Green Pigeon species across Africa. It can be found in countries such as Angola, Benin, Botswana, Liberia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Niger, Somalia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and many more.

With their parrot-like climbing habit, they occur in tree canopies to reach for fruits. They are associated with fruits such as saffron, jacket plums, Buffalo thorns, water berries, jackal berries, mulberries, and loquats.

The plumage of an adult African Green Pigeon is mostly greenish with maroon shoulder patches, whereas juveniles have olive shoulder patches. The undertail covers are rufous colored.

The African Green Pigeon has 17 subspecies that vary in feet color and size of cere. Its subspecies are as follows:

• Guinean Green Pigeon
• Sierra Leone Green Pigeon
• Senegal Green Pigeon
• African Green-Pigeon (poensis)
• Uele River Green Pigeon
• East African Green Pigeon
• African Green-Pigeon (salvadorii)
• Wakefield’s Green Pigeon
• African Green Pigeon (granti)
• African Green Pigeon (schalowi)
• African Green Pigeon (damarensis)
• African Green Pigeon (chobiensisi)
• Angola Green Pigeon
• African Green Pigeon (vylderi)
• African Green Pigeon (virescens)
• African Green Pigeon (gibberifrons)
• Delalande’s Green Pigeon