Speckled Wood Pigeon Columba hodgsonii
Etymology:
- Columba : Latin word for Pigeon, dove
- Hodgsonii :Named after English diplomat Brian Houghton Hodgson (1800–1894)
Vernacular names : U.P.: Bhekala, Ass: Pahari pagooma, Cachar: Hagrani daohukuruma
Distribution : Resident of Himalayas & North eastern Hills in India.
Description : It has size of 32–35 cm; weight of 219–390 g. The Head, breast and belly are bluish grey, merging to almost silver on rump. The mantle and wing-coverts are dark reddish purple; outer wing-coverts are bluish grey and most of wing-coverts tipped with a white triangular spot, producing effect of a heavily spotted closed wing. The primaries and secondaries are dark slate. The tail is black with a pale grey central bar, two outermost rectrices with pale edges. The neck collar consists of bifurcated feathers, which are chestnut basally and tipped with silvery green or silvery pink. The orbital skin red or purple, with a narrow white streak dividing naked skin from grey crown. The iris is whitish yellow, yellow or golden surrounded by an orange or purple outer ring. The legs are pink, salmon or reddish; bill is black, with white cere. Both the sexes alike.
The Juvenile is duller, with ill-defined wing spots; neck feathers are dull and not bifurcated; feet and orbital skin are greyish.
Habitat: It is found in open country, including savanna, open woodland and gardens from sea-level up to 3000 m.
Food habits: It eats seeds, taken on the ground in open fields. The flocks gather after harvest to feed on maize, wheat, sorghum and other cultivated grains; also gathers on recently sown fields to consume germinating cereal. It eats snails on occasion
Breeding habits: They breed in all months throughout much of range. The nest is a bare scrape, or a few twigs, or an untidy but substantial platform made of twigs placed on cliff, in trees or on buildings. They lay a clutch of 2 eggs .the incubation period is 14–18 days . The nestling period 20–25 days. The young may fly when 20 days old