Fig. 68.–Crowned Pigeon. Goura coronata. × ⅑.
Fam. XII. Columbidae.–If we omit the Arctic and Antarctic countries, this group forms a remarkably cosmopolitan Family, though with an irregular distribution. Roughly speaking, there are recognised some dozen Palaearctic, and still fewer Nearctic species, with about seventy Neotropical and forty Ethiopian; India possesses about thirty, the Malay Archipelago perhaps a hundred and twenty, New Guinea and the Moluccas a hundred. Many island forms occur in Polynesia, but Australia can barely claim twenty, the New Zealand seas only furnish two, and the Sandwich Islands none.
Sub-fam. 1. Gourinae.–This contains seven species of Goura–G. coronata of Western New Guinea, Waigiou, Batanta, Salawatti, and Mysol, G. cinerea of the Arfak Mountains, G. sclateri of Central and Southern New Guinea, G. albertisi of South-East New Guinea, G. scheepmakeri, probably from South-West New Guinea–all of which have the erect crest-feathers with entirely decomposed webs–G. victoria of Jobi and Mysori, and G. beccarii of Central and North New Guinea–which have them with spatulate tips. The first of these, discovered by Dampier in 1699, is bluish-slate-coloured, with darker wings, and some black on the chin and sides of the head; a broad chestnut band crossing the back, one of white shewing conspicuously on the wing, and one of grey terminating the tail. The other species differ in the amount of chestnut above, the wing-bar being grey and the breast chestnut in some cases. These birds are found near open or cultivated lands, ranging from the coast regions to an altitude of a thousand feet; they feed in small flocks, and eat seeds, berries, and other fruits, buds of plants, worms, and insects. The usual note is long, harsh, and trumpet-like, the love-call a short mournful coo. When disturbed they take to cover, and pitch upon low branches, where they also roost; in the heat of the day they lie in the shade with outspread wings and tail; and in the courting-season the cocks fight savagely for the hens. The nest, a careless platform of sticks, contains one large white egg.
Sub-fam. 2. Peristerinae.–This ranges over both the Old and the New World, Zenaida, Peristera, and their closest allies being confined to the latter, while Turtur, Phaps, and so forth belong to the former.
Group (a).–Caloenas nicobarica, which extends from the Nicobar Islands through the Malay Archipelago to the Solomons, is a metallic-green bird, with bronzy reflexions and blackish head, neck, and upper breast, most of the remiges being black, and the tail with its coverts white. The long narrow neck-hackles, the roughly-scaled legs, and the black knob at the base of the bill are also remarkable features. Partly but not entirely terrestrial, it walks at a great rate, feeds mainly upon the ground on seeds, utters a croaking note, often builds in societies on trees, and lays one white egg. C. pelewensis, of the Pelew Islands, is smaller and bluer.
Group (b).–This section of the Sub-family contains several robust forms, with fairly long, stout legs, and short, rounded wings. Otidiphaps nobilis of Western New Guinea and Batanta, O. cervicalis of South-East New Guinea, and O. insularis of Fergusson Island, are greenish-black, chestnut, and purple, with the bill red, the feet reddish with rough yellow scales, and the nape green, grey, and black respectively. They have no less than twenty rectrices, while the first two have an occipital crest. These Pigeons, said to resemble Megapodes in habits, frequent hills or dense thickets, often near the sea-coast, but are difficult of observation, owing to their shyness; they run swiftly with erect outspread tail, perch on low boughs, and have a harsh cry, varied by a plaintive note; the food consists of fruits, roots, and snails. The nest, containing one egg, is said to be placed at the foot of a tree. Starnoenas cyanocephala, of Cuba and the Florida Keys, is brown above and purplish-rufous below, with a blue crown surrounded by black, a black throat with a white basal line, a white stripe across each cheek, and red bill and feet varied with bluish. This bird, the "Perdiz" of the Cubans, frequents wooded hills and has somewhat gallinaceous habits; the food consists of seeds, berries, and snails, the hollow note having the effect of ventriloquism. Another long-legged, terrestrial genus from New Guinea is Eutrygon; E. terrestris being olivaceous lead-coloured, with rufous outer margins to the brown remiges, while E. leucopareia has a reddish hue on the wing-coverts. Leucosarcia picata, the white-fleshed Wonga-wonga of Eastern Australia, is blue-black with white forehead, pectoral band, and central abdomen. It inhabits the brushes, and feeds chiefly upon the ground on seeds, fruits, and insect-larvae; the flight is of short duration and the habits somewhat Pheasant-like; the nest is in a tree. Phlogoenas contains a score of members ranging from the Philippines and Timor to the Society Islands. P. luzonica of Luzon has purplish upper parts, a greyish-blue head, and yellowish-white lower parts, with a patch of stiff red decomposed feathers over the crop; the inner webs of the remiges are more or less rufous, a characteristic found also in Chalcopelia, Columbigallina, Scardafella, and Leptoptila, from very different parts of the world. P. rufigula, of New Guinea and the islands to the north-west, has the crop-patch yellowish-ochre; P. tristigma of North Celebes is perhaps most striking of all, with its yellow breast and forehead, green head, purple nape, and green and purple tints on the brown upper back; P. stairi of the Fiji and Tonga Islands has a greenish-grey head and brownish upper surface, with brilliant violet-purple on the wings and a vinous breast, while the female differs in being olive-brown, with the head and breast dull cinnamon. P. kubaryi of the Caroline group is almost entirely violet-purple above, the head being grey, the forehead, sides of the neck, throat, and breast white. Geotrygon with some dozen and a half species extends from South Mexico to Paraguay, several of them being peculiar to the West Indies. G. montana, the "Mountain-Partridge," ranges from Key West and Cuba to Paraguay. It has a purplish-rufous upper surface, while the lower parts are whitish-fawn colour, with a purplish breast. The female is olive with a tinge of gold above, and chiefly buff below, with browner breast. G. chrysia of Haiti, Cuba, the Bahamas, and the Florida Keys has reddish-brown upper parts, with reflexions of brilliant purple, green, and gold, and vinaceous-white lower parts. G. violacea of Central America and Brazil, G. cristata, the Mountain-Witch, of Jamaica, G. linearis of Colombia, and other species, bear a general resemblance to the above. These birds frequent thickly-wooded districts or mountainous tracts, where they feed upon the ground on seeds, fallen berries, snails, and slugs. They often have recourse to running, yet the flight is rapid and whirring; the note is a moaning coo, the nest a slight structure on bushes, trees, or even the ground. Osculatia purpurea and O. sapphirina are two beautiful Ecuadorian Pigeons, of which the former has a rich purple crown and occiput, a purplish-violet mantle with duller wings, a violet rump, a bronzy-green hind-neck, a white forehead, throat, and abdomen, a greyish breast, and white cheeks with a black transverse stripe below. The latter has the crown grey, the occiput golden-green. Leptoptila (Engyptila of some authors), distributed from Texas to Argentina, contains about seventeen somewhat similar forms, which have olive-brown upper parts, with red, green, and dove-coloured reflexions, and usually pinkish-white or greyish under parts. The wing-quills almost invariably shew some cinnamon on their inner webs, while in L. rufinucha, the region of the nape is rufous. The White-bellied Pigeon of Jamaica (L. jamaicensis) is an unsuspicious bird which habitually lives on the ground in woods, eats seeds and fruits, runs, walks, or flies for short distances, and sometimes uses straw instead of sticks for its nest. The genus Haplopelia is restricted to the Ethiopian Region, H. larvata of South Africa, H. bronzina of Abyssinia and Shoa, H. principalis of Prince's Island, H. simplex of St. Thomas, H. johnstoni of Nyassa-Land, and H. inornata of the Cameroons, being all much alike. The first-mentioned–common in woods near Cape Town–is plain brown, with green and purple gloss on the crown and nape, a white forehead and throat, and vinaceous breast with coppery reflexions. It is the Cinnamon or Lemon Dove of the colonists, and feeds chiefly on berries, obtained upon the ground.
Group (c).–The third section of the Peristerinae is confined to the Old World, and shews metallic blue or green wing-spots or patches. Ocyphaps lophotes, the swift Crested Bronze-wing of the interior of Australia, is found in flocks, especially near water, and has a remarkable habit, when alighting, of erecting its long, black crest and elevating its tail until they almost meet. It is a grey bird, possessing bronzy-green wing-coverts tipped with white, a metallic purple gloss on the secondaries, and peacock-blue outer rectrices. Lophophaps plumifera of North-West Australia, which has a western race, L. ferruginea, and a southern, L. leucogaster, is a terrestrial species, frequenting creeks in the desert, and running on the ground like a Quail. The nest is a mere hole in the ground lined with a little grass; the eggs are said to be creamy-white. The Plumed Bronze-wing, as it is called, has the general plumage and full crest pale cinnamon, the throat white, with a black median stripe, a black gorget, a crescentic band of grey on the chest with a black line below, and a few purple spots on the secondaries. Geophaps scripta, the Partridge Bronze-wing or Squatter of North-West and East Australia, has a peculiar habit of squatting on the ground or on the branches of any tree in which it takes refuge. It is light brown above and grey below, with curious black and white markings on the sides of the head and throat; the wing-coverts have pale tips, and the innermost of the greater series greenish-purple outer webs. G. smithi of North-West Australia is browner. From the same parts comes Petrophassa albipennis, which frequents rocks, though its nest has not yet been recorded; it is a reddish-brown bird with greyer head, grey centres to the feathers, and concealed purplish spots on the wing-coverts; the throat is black and white, the primaries brown with white bases. Histrioniphaps histrionica, of the interior and North-West of Australia, has brown upper and grey under parts; the head is finely varied with jet-black and pure white, the secondaries shew patches of metallic-purple, and the primaries have white tips and partly rufous inner webs. The female is much duller. It is essentially a Ground-Pigeon, and breeds on the bare soil of the plains; but the flight is much stronger than might be expected, as is also the case with Geophaps. Phaps chalcoptera and P. elegans, of Australia and Tasmania, in their mode of life resemble the preceding, though the latter species is the more terrestrial, while both usually build in low trees or bushes. P. chalcoptera, the Common Bronze-wing, is extremely handsome, the greyish-brown upper surface being relieved by a purple band on the crown and most brilliant bronze and green spots upon the wing; the breast is pinkish, the throat white, and the forehead white with a wash of yellow. The inner webs of the remiges are partly rufous. P. elegans, the Brush Bronze-wing, is a shorter-winged bird, with chestnut throat and grey breast. Henicophaps albifrons of New Guinea and the adjacent western islands has the forehead whitish, the neck and under parts rich reddish-purple, the back blue-black, the wings glossed with golden-green and bronze, and their coverts margined with chestnut. The beak is longer and stouter than in the allied forms, and the bird is partly arboreal. Calopelia puella of West Africa is a fine cinnamon-coloured bird, with blue head and iridescent green spots on the wings. Of Chalcophaps, ranging from India, Burma, and South China, through the islands to Australia and the New Hebrides, Count Salvadori makes two divisions, though the species are little more than local races. Of the first of these, with golden-green mid-back and scapulars, C. indica, the Emerald Dove or Beetle-wing, may be taken as typical; the head is blue with white forehead and sides, the upper back is purplish, the wing-coverts golden-green, the lower back bronzy with two grey bars, the rump nearly black, and the under parts purplish-pink. The female is brown and somewhat redder below, with grey forehead. This species covers nearly the whole range of the genus, but only stretches eastward to Geelvink Bay in New Guinea. C. chrysochlora reaches from Timor to the New Hebrides; C. sanghirensis occurs in Great Sanghir Island; C. natalis in Christmas Island, Indian Ocean. C. stephani, of Celebes and Papuasia, and C. mortoni, of the Solomon Islands, constitute the second division, where the mid-back and scapulars are reddish-cinnamon. These Pigeons frequent bushy districts, feed on the ground on seeds and fruits, run fast, and fly swiftly for short distances. They have a mournful note, breed on low trees, and make a fairly compact nest of roots, grass, or twigs. Chalcopelia afra inhabits Africa south of Abyssinia and Senegambia. It has olive-brown upper parts, with two black stripes across the lower back, and a few large spots of brilliant purple and green on the wing; the under parts are pinkish, and the inner webs of the primaries and their coverts bright rufous. C. chalcospilus, with the spots golden-green, is probably a variety. They inhabit bushy country in pairs, the flight, food, note, and nest being similar to those of Chalcophaps. Tympanistria bicolor is a similar but greyer bird, with the purple spots almost black and the lower parts white; it inhabits Southern Africa, Madagascar, the Comoros, and Fernando Po. The very long-tailed Oena capensis is pale brown above and white below, with black face and throat, grey crown, two black bands across the lower back, and steel-blue patches on the wings. The inner webs of the primaries and their coverts are cinnamon. The female has a white face and throat. It is a bird of rough bushy country, which is seldom found in flocks, utters a deep plaintive note, and breeds in low trees. This species walks with the utmost rapidity, and feeds upon the ground on seeds of grasses and grain. It is found in tropical and Southern Africa, in Madagascar, and at Aden and Jeddah.
Group (d).–The most typical Peristerinae constitute a fourth section, usually with metallic wing-spots, restricted to America. Metriopelia melanoptera and M. aymara range from Ecuador and Peru respectively to Chili and the borders of Argentina. The former is greyish-brown above and vinaceous below, with black wings and tail, the latter has golden spots on the wing-coverts. They are found in small flocks in the valleys of the Andes, and in winter on the coast, being called by the natives "Tortola cordillerana," or "Cordillera Dove." Peristera cinerea is bluish-grey in the male, with lighter under parts, black remiges and outer rectrices, some velvety black spots being very conspicuous on the wings and scapulars. The female is brown, with cinnamon wing-spots. This species ranges from South Mexico to Paraguay; while P. geoffroyi, with white-tipped lateral tail-feathers and a grey breast, inhabits South-East Brazil; P. mondetoura, with chestnut breast, occurs from South Mexico to Peru. They frequent wooded and hilly districts, forming small flocks and uttering a cry resembling "huup-huup." Oxypelia cyanopis, of the interior of Brazil, and Uropelia campestris, of that country and Bolivia, link the above genus to Columbigallina, which contains six species. C. passerina extends from the southern United States and the West Indies to Peru and Paraguay; C. minuta occupies a similar range, except for the United States; and C. cruziana reaches from Ecuador to North Chili–all with naked feet; C. buckleyi inhabits Ecuador and Peru; C. talpacoti, most of South America north of Paraguay; C. rufipennis ranges from Mexico to the north of South America, these three having the metatarsi feathered laterally. C. passerina is olive-grey, with violet spots on the wing and purplish coverts; the feathers of the forehead and under parts being vinous, with dull brown centres to the latter, and those of the hinder portion of the head bluish, with dusky margins, which cause a scaly appearance. The female lacks the purple and red tints. C. minuta, the most diminutive Pigeon known,–though Oena would be smaller but for its tail,–is uniform below. The other species differ but little, though only C. rufipennis has, like the above, the under surface of the wing cinnamon. Flocks of the Ground-Dove or Tortolita, as C. passerina is called, are found amongst open woods and pastures, running about with elevated tails, and feeding chiefly upon the ground on seeds, berries, peas, and grain; if disturbed, they betake themselves with low and noisy flight to a tree; but they are usually very tame, and may often be heard uttering their mournful notes on the roofs of outbuildings. The nest, placed in low bushes or on the ground, is carefully constructed and lined with grass, two or three broods being reared in the season. The hen is said to feign disablement at its nest like a Plover, while the birds apparently dust themselves in gallinaceous fashion. Columbula picui, distinguished by a blue band on the wing-coverts, occurs in South America from Bolivia and Chili eastward.
Group (e).–The fifth section of the Peristerinae exhibit no metallic spots or lustre, while the wings are rounded and the tail is rather long. Gymnopelia erythrothorax, of the mountains of Peru, Bolivia, and North Chili, is brown, with vinaceous head and breast, and remarkably large naked orbits of orange margined with black. Scardafella has crescentic black edges to the feathers, the upper parts being brown and the lower pinky white, while the primaries have cinnamon inner webs. S. squamosa, of Brazil, Venezuela, and Colombia, has a white wing-patch, absent in S. inca, extending from Texas to Nicaragua. These "Scaly Doves," as they are called, seem to be essentially terrestrial. Geopelia humeralis, of Australia and Southern New Guinea, is brown above, with black scale-like markings, a rufous nape, a bluish forehead and chest, a pinkish breast, and a white mid-belly. The remiges are rufous on the inner web. G. cuneata, of Australia only, has small white wing-spots, and no black marginal markings on the feathers. G. tranquilla, of the same country, G. striata, ranging from South Tenasserim to the Philippines and the Moluccas–introduced into Madagascar, the Mascarene Islands, and St. Helena–and G. maugei, found from the Timor group to the Ké Islands, are distinctly banded with black and white, the first round the neck only, the other two on the breast also. These long-tailed species, resembling miniature Turtle-Doves, frequent grassy plains, thickets, or swampy river-sides in small flocks, and flit tamely from tree to tree, alighting with upturned tail; the coo is rarely loud; the food consists of seeds and berries, usually obtained upon the ground; the nest, placed rather low, is of twigs or grass.
Group (f).–Turtur contains twenty-eight Old World forms, reaching eastward to Japan, the Ladrones, and the Moluccas. In habits resembling the members of the genus Columba, they are browner in coloration, and about three quarters of the size; while some exhibit lateral patches of dark feathers tipped with blue, grey, or white on the neck, the plumage whereof in other species is bifurcated and spotted with rufous or white. Many have a black nuchal collar, and a few somewhat fawn-coloured upper parts; the lower surface is more or less vinaceous, and the rectrices, except the two median, are tipped with white or grey. The following may exemplify the range of this sixth section of the Peristerinae:–Turtur communis, the Turtle-Dove of Europe, winters in Northern Africa and Western Asia; T. douraca or risorius (our common cage-bird), extends from Turkey to India and Japan; T. orientalis, accidental in Europe, only from India to Japan; T. tigrinus from the Malay countries to the Moluccas; T. dussumieri from Borneo to the Ladrones; T. semitorquatus, T. isabellinus, and so forth, inhabit Africa; T. picturatus Madagascar, T. aldabranus, T. comorensis, T. coppingeri, T. abbotti, and T. rostratus the neighbouring Islands. The African T. senegalensis is found in the Canaries, and several introduced species occur in Madagascar or Mauritius.