Pin-tail Pigeon      Treron apicauda

Etymology:

• Treron : Greek word for Pigeon

• Apicauda : Latin word apex – point, apex; cauda tail

 Vernacular Names : Hindi: Sinkdum Harial, Kokhla, Ben: Harial, Kokhla, Ass: Bor haitha/haithak, Cachar: Daorep galou, Lepcha: Sang pong

Distribution : Resident in Himalayan foothills from Kumaon east to  Assam

 Description: Male has a size of 32–36 cm, female size is 28 cm; weight of 185–255 g. The general coloration is bright yellowish green, palest on underparts and darkest on wing-coverts and scapulars. The breast is golden, yellow-gold or pinkish gold; has an ill-defined greyish band across mantle. The outer secondaries and primaries are black; yellow edges to median- and greater-coverts, and secondaries form yellow stripes on closed wing. The two long pointed central tail feathers are bluish grey, washed green at tips; remaining feathers in wedge-shaped tail are bluish grey with black bases. The flanks are green; feathers are tipped whitish; undertail-coverts are chestnut with buff tips. The orbital skin is blue; bill is pale greenish or whitish blue at tip, bright blue at base; legs and feet are red.

The female is duller, with at most a trace of gold on breast and grey on mantle; central tail feathers are much less elongated; undertail-coverts are dull yellow-brown and whitish with grey-green central streak.

The juvenile resembles adult female, but has blunter and even shorter central rectrices, and different pattern of yellow fringes in wing.

Habitat: It is found in forest and second growth, primarily in hill country up to 1800 m; in winters it is found in wooded areas in the plains down to below 300 m .

Food habits:  It eats fruits, taking wide variety of fruits. It descends to the ground to visit salt-licks. The feeding is acrobatic and parakeet-like. It is found in flocks of 10–30 birds.

Breeding habits: They breed in April-June. The nest is a platform of twigs, placed above the ground. They lay a clutch of 2 eggs.