Bird Guide

Plumbeous Pigeon vs Scaled Pigeon

Plumbeous Pigeon (Patagioenas plumbea)

Plumbeous Pigeon

Patagioenas plumbea

Medium179 gForest

The plumbeous pigeon is 34 cm (13 in) long and weighs 172 to 231 g (6.1 to 8.1 oz). Males have a dark gray head, neck, and underparts that sometimes have a pinkish or purplish tinge. The shoulders, back, rump, wings, and tail are dark grayish brown to drab olive. The hindneck sometimes has bronzy spots. The eye is red and surrounded by bare purplish red skin. The female's purplish wash is less intense and the neck spots more intense than the male's. Juveniles are duller than the adults, with very little purplish wash, and some feathers have rusty edges. Voice: The general pattern of the plumbeous pigeon's song is "a repeated rhythmic phrase of 2–5 coos" and the call is "a purring, drawn-out, slightly overslurred 'rrrrrow'." There are at least five distinct vocal groups whose songs are variations on the general pattern.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Plumbeous Pigeon
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Call, song · Napo: Napo Galeras, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Ron Knight from Seaford, East Sussex, United Kingdom · CC BY 2.0
Scaled Pigeon (Patagioenas speciosa)

Scaled Pigeon

Patagioenas speciosa

Medium258 gForest

The scaled pigeon is 36 cm (14 in) long and weighs normally about 290 g (10 oz). Adult males have mainly purple brown plumage, with a paler scaly appearance to the neck and underparts. The lower underparts are whitish edged with purple. The eyering, legs and bill are red, the latter having a white tip. The female is dull dark brown rather than purplish, and is slightly smaller than the male. Scaled pigeons feed mainly on forest fruits and seeds. Birds have also been seen to feed on fresh green leaves and sometimes crops.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Aitor · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

Learn this pair in the BeakBrain App

Photo and call practice. Coming soon to iPhone and Android.

Play today's Daily Bird

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Plumbeous Pigeon and Scaled Pigeon.