African Olive Pigeon
Columba arquatrix
The African Olive Pigeon (Columba arquatrix) is a uncommon doves and pigeon found in 18 countries, weighing about 400 g. The African olive pigeon or Rameron pigeon is a pigeon which is a resident breeding bird in much of eastern and southern Africa from Ethiopia to the Cape.
About the African Olive Pigeon
The African olive pigeon or Rameron pigeon is a pigeon which is a resident breeding bird in much of eastern and southern Africa from Ethiopia to the Cape. Populations also are found in western Angola, southwestern Saudi Arabia and northern Yemen. It is locally common, although sizeable gaps in its distribution occur due to its habitat requirements. Despite this, the species is monotypic, with no substantive variation between birds in the different areas it occurs in.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The adult male African olive pigeon is a large pigeon at 37 to 42 cm (15 to 17 in) in length and a weight of 300 to 450 g (11 to 16 oz). Its back and wings are maroon, with the shoulders heavily speckled with white spots. The underparts are maroon with heavy white spotting, and the head is grey with yellow patches around the eye, and a yellow bill. The neck plumage, used in display, is streaked maroon and white, the underwing and undertail are dark grey, and the feet are yellow. Females are very similar to males but somewhat duller.
Where it lives
When to see it
The African Olive Pigeon can be seen all year round, with peak activity in October. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify an African Olive Pigeon?
- The adult male African olive pigeon is a large pigeon at 37 to 42 cm (15 to 17 in) in length and a weight of 300 to 450 g (11 to 16 oz). Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is an African Olive Pigeon?
- The African Olive Pigeon is a large sized bird weighing about 400 g.
- Where can you see an African Olive Pigeon?
- The African Olive Pigeon occurs in 18 countries, including South Africa, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia.
- What birds look similar to an African Olive Pigeon?
- The African Olive Pigeon is most easily confused with the White-headed Pigeon, the Hill Pigeon and the Ashy Wood Pigeon.
- Is the African Olive Pigeon endangered?
- The African Olive Pigeon is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
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