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African green pigeon

Treron calva

Description: Adult African green pigeons have maroon patches on the top of their wings and the juveniles have an olive color. The upperparts are grayish-green to yellowish-green; the thighs are yellow; and the feet and bill are red with the bill having a white tip.

Size: African green pigeons reach a length of 8.5- 11 inches (22-28 cm).

Behavior: They are usually found in small groups, foraging in trees for fruit. Their green plumage is great camouflage. They are fast fliers.

Diet: They mainly eat fruit, especially figs.

Senses: Pigeons have good hearing and eyesight; sense of smell aids with navigation and finding preferred food.

Communication: Their call is a series of flowing whistles.

Reproduction: Nesting may take place in any month of the year, though mostly in the summer. The female builds the nest using material gathered by the male, consisting of a flat platform of twigs and leaves, typically placed in the fork of a tree. The female lays one to two eggs that hatch in about 13-14 days and then about 12 days after hatching, the chicks leave the nest.

Habitat/range: African green pigeons have a wide range in Sub-Saharan Arica. They inhabit riparian
forest, woodland and savanna, where they associate with fruiting trees.

Status: Listed as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List.

Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Columbiformes
Family:Columbidae
Genus:Treron
Species:calva