PIGEONS(CONTI....)

SPECKLED WOOD PIGEON
SIZE Pigeon, lenght 40 cm( 16 in).
FIELD CHARACTERS; A dark forest pigeon, Male. Above, head and neck grey, the latter speckled behind with blackish. Mantle claret-maroon speckled with white on coverts. Rest of upper plumage dark brown and slaty grey; tail blackish brown. Below, upper breast speckled with blackish grey and claret, changing to uniform claret on lower breast, passing to deep slaty on belly and under tail-coverts. Female has the head brownish grey, and red of mantle and breast duller and browner.
STATUS, HABITAT, ETC. Resident, subject to nomadic seasonal movements dependent on fruit supply and ripening: tall mixed evergreen forest between 1800 and 4000m. Small flocks of 6 to 10. Largely frugivorous and arboreal, but also gleans weed seeds and splits grains in harvested stubbles.
CALL: a very deep whock-whr-o-o…..whroo.

ASHY WOOD PIGEON
SIZE Pigeon; length 35cm(14in).
FIELD CHARACTERS; Above, head and nape pale grey; a conspicuous buff collar, broad and black-stippled on hindneck, narrow in forest. Upper back and all round lower neck blackish with iridescent green and lilac sheen; lower back and rump blackish laden grey; wings and tail blackish brown. Below, chin white diffusing into buff throat and then into the glossy collar; breast metallic dark slaty blue diffusing to pale cinnamom or brownish buff on belly and vent .
SEXES; alike.
STAUS, HABITAT, ETC. Resident, normally between 1200 and 3200 m; occasionally lower, in the duars: dense moist-deciduous and evergreen forest. Subject to considerable seasonal nomadism as in other fruit pigeons. Pairs, or small flocks of 10 to 30, usually sitting quietly high up in a tree concealed by foliage, hence often overlooked.
FOOD; chiefly drupes and berries; also acorns, grains, and seeds.
CALL:A deep sonorous cooo, like that of British Wood pigeon.

BARTAILED CUCKOO-DOVE
SIZE; Pigeon with longer, pointed tail. Overall length 40cm (16 in).
FIELD CHARACTERS;A slender reddish brown long-tailed forest pigeon.
Male. Above, forehead buff, shading to lilac-purple on crown, hindneck and upper back, highly glossed with metallic green. Rest of upper plumage rufous, barreed with black. Tail rufous, long, broad, graduated, barred with black. Below, chin and lower breast and to buff on belly and vent. Female has upper plumage duller; head and breast barred with dark brown.
STATUS, HABITAT, ETC; Resident between 450 and 2700 m; dense evergreen forest and secondary jungle. Pairs or small parties glean in cultivation clearing and forest glades, or feed up among fruiting trees like green pigeon. Flight fast, typically pigeon-like, but habit of gliding upward for sitting on a branch, and hind aspect when perched upright, distinctly cuculine.

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