Nicobar pigeon

Description

The pigeon Nicobar ( Caloenas nicobarica Linnaeus,1758 ) is a bird of the family of Columbidae.he Nicobare pigeon is 32-35 cm long;the male weighs 460-525 g,the female 490-600 g.It has large wings and long legs,a short white tail,the beak is consistent.The feathers are generally short except for those of the neck which are particularly elongated and supple and form a collar that extends over the back and chest.The black gray plumage has a strong metallic iridescence with shades ranging from green to deep blue to copper red,the remiges are dark blue.The beakand the wax is particularly developed and black in color,the eyes are gray,the legs are purplish with yellow nails.The recognition of the sexes is very difficult,the female,slightly smaller in size,can have the wax less developed,the neck shorter,the lower parts brown more intense and the feathers of the collar are less developed.The general coloring of the young is blackish brown.The candid white tail is the sign of the reached sexual maturity.The plumage of adults is observed at 5-14 months of age but are able to breed at one year of age when they still have juvenile plumage.C.n.pelewensis,endemic to the Palau islands,has smaller dimensions and bluish tints,the lapel is less developed and the feathers are bifurcated at the end.