Grey-fronted Green Pigeon     Treron pompadora affinis

Etymology:

• Treron : Greek word for Pigeon

• Pompadora : named after Jeanne Antoinette Poisson Marquise de Pompadour (1721–1764) mistress of Louis XV King of France

• Affinis : Latin word for Related

Vernacular Names : Mar: Rakhi Kapalacha Haroli

Distribution in India: Resident of Western Ghats in India

Description: Size of 27 cm. It is a small, short-tailed and dark green-pigeon, characterized by whitish forehead, well-defined grey crown, yellow-green eyebrow and face, yellowish throat, yellowish-olive rump and tail, and bright yellow-green underparts. The male has very dark purplish-maroon and extensive mantle, green-and-black tertials, heavy dark green and yellow streaks on lower belly and thighs, and solid medium chestnut undertail-coverts. The female is Similar-sized and has less well-defined grey crown, uniform dark olive upperparts, white and dark green streaks on belly and thighs, and green barring on otherwise white undertail-coverts. The juvenile is similar to female, but overall slightly duller, with broad, rounded, pale yellow tips to wing-coverts, pale buff vent and distinct white edges to outer webs of primaries. 

Habitat:  It is found in primary and secondary evergreen and moist deciduous forests. It is found from sea-level up to 1000 m.

Food habits: It is frugivorous, eating a variety of fruits, drupes and berries, and also termites. It sometimes forages on ground for wild strawberries. It also visits salt-licks.

Breeding habits:  They breed in Dec–Mar. The nest is a flimsy platform of twigs in a low to moderate-sized tree and is often exposed. Both the sexes share nest building activity. They lay a clutch of 2 eggs. The incubation period is 12–14 days. The incubation is done by both sexes.