African Olive Pigeon
Olive Pigeon (Columba arquatrix )
The Olive Pigeon (Columba arquatrix ), also known as spot dove, spotted wood dove, yellow-eyed pigeon or dove purple, is a type of pigeon birds, which is attributed to the subfamily Columbinae. The species is found only in Africa.
Appearance
The olive dove reaches a body length of up to 41 centimeters, making it larger than a wood pigeon. Compared with this type of physique of Oliventaube is stockier. The tail is shorter.
The head is slate gray with a dull reddish forehead. The chest is a silver color mauveblau up. The back of the head, the neck and the back side of the neck are silver-gray. The mantle and the smaller wing-coverts are dark purple. Dark plumage has small white polka dots. The lighter throat and chest contrast, act dull dark spotted. The under tail-coverts, and flanks are gray-blue contrast. The beak, the eye ring and the feet are striking orange -yellow to pale yellow.
Area of distribution and habitat
The Oliventaube has a very large distribution area. It ranges in East Africa from southern Ethiopia to the Cape in South Africa. It also occurs in the west of Angola and in the southwest of the Arabian Peninsula and in northern Yemen. The distribution is, however, very disjoint, since this type has specific habitat requirements. In Ethiopia, Somalia and East Africa, the species is locally common and come in large numbers, especially in an altitude of 1,500 meters above sea level before. It occurs sporadically before at a lower altitude along rivers, in coastal areas, they appeared seasonally. In South Africa, the species is now protected. Previously, the species was hunted so intensively that the stocks fell sharply.
The Oliventaube is a tree-dwelling type, inhabits the evergreen primary and secondary forest. It is adaptable and also occurs in forests that have been altered by logging into their composition. Where it is not tracked, they also examined on agricultural land for food. Occasionally it occurs in gallery forests. In South Africa, she has settled in forests, which consist of all imported pine and eucalyptus trees.
Way of life
Parts of the population do daily long walks to get to their significantly lower altitude feeding grounds. For food range includes fruits, berries, seeds and insects and their larvae. In parts of its range, the fruits and seeds of introduced plants have now become a food spectrum. Olive pigeons move very skilled in the branches to reach their food. However, they are also on the ground in order to look for food.
The breeding season varies according to habitat and food availability. In Ethiopia, the olive pigeon breeds in the period from November to May. In the Congo, however, is the culmination of the breeding season in the months of April and May. The nest is built high up in the trees. The nest usually includes only an egg. It, however, nest with two eggs have also been found. The incubation period is 17 to 20 days. The young birds fledge after 20 days.
Attitude in captivity
The Oliventaube was first shown in 1864 in the London Zoo. There also the Berlin Zoo with breeding also succeeded in 1912, the offspring of this type was A year later successful. Because of their body size it requires a large aviary. It is one acceptable way, which can be associated with both conspecifics and other species of pigeons.