| Pied imperial pigeon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pied imperial pigeon in Singapore. | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Columbiformes |
| Family: | Columbidae |
| Genus: | Ducula |
| Species: | D. bicolor |
| Binomial name | |
| Ducula bicolor (Scopoli, 1786) | |
Thepied imperial pigeon (Ducula bicolor) is a relatively large,pied species ofpigeon. It is found in forest, woodland, mangrove, plantations and scrub inSoutheast Asia, ranging fromMyanmar andThailand, throughoutIndonesia and east to thePhilippines (where it is locally known ascamasu andbalud-puti)[2] and theBird's Head Peninsula inNew Guinea. It is mainly found on small islands and in coastal regions.[3] It remains locally common, and is therefore considered to be ofleast concern byBirdLife International andIUCN.[1]
Itstaxonomy is confusing and remains unsettled. It has sometimes included theTorresian,yellowish andsilver-tipped imperial pigeons assubspecies.[3] The widespreadnominate subspecies of the pied imperial pigeon differs from all these by its plain white thighs and undertailcoverts (though often with a dark spot at the very tip), and its narrowly dark-tipped bluish bill. For comparison, the other species' have black-spotted undertail coverts and thighs (spotting mainly near thighs in silver-tipped imperial pigeon), the bill of the Torresian imperial pigeon is greenish-yellow, and the bills of the yellowish and silver-tipped imperial pigeons are bluish at the base and yellowish at the tip. Furthermore, the yellowish imperial pigeon has a distinctive yellowish tinge to itsplumage[3] (some pied imperial pigeons may also appear yellowish, but infrequently to the same extent), and the silver-tipped imperial pigeon has silvery-greyremiges.[4] However, thesubspeciesD. b. melanura of theMoluccas, which usually is considered a subspecies of the pied imperial pigeon, resembles the Torresian imperial pigeon in bill, thighs and undertail coverts, but has a significantly broader black tail-tip.[4] Consequently, some have suggested it should be placed under the Torresian imperial pigeon, while others have suggested it should be considered an entirely separate species,D. melanura[4] (for which the name black imperial pigeon has been used – an unfortunate choice, as only the tail has significantly more black than the other members of this group, and the name black imperial pigeon usually has been used forD. melanochroa).[5] Yet others have consideredmelanura to be invalid, instead believing it only is amorph ofD. b. bicolor, as both types can be found on some islands.[4]
