Andaman Green Pigeon

Andaman Green Pigeon  Treron pompadora chloropterus

Etymology:

• Treron : Greek word for Pigeon
• Pompadora : named after Jeanne Antoinette Poisson Marquise de Pompadour (1721–1764) mistress of Louis XV King of France
• Chloropterus : Greek word khloros yellow; pteros -winged

 Vernacular names: Ben: Chhota harial, Ass: Haitha, Cachar: Daorep, Naga: Inruigum, Kuki: Vohpolip, Ta: Pachchaipura, Te: Poda pachcha pavuramu, Mal: Charavarayan, Sinh: Bata goya, Sipaduwa, Mar: Rakhi Kapalacha Hariyal

Distribution in India: Resident of Andaman & Nicobar Island, parts of West coast and East coast of India.

Description:  Size of 27 cm, wing size of 166–184 mm. It is large, washed-out, green-pigeon with heavy, dark-based bill. It has a very pale grey cap, bright olive-yellow or lime-green rump, broad bright sulphur-yellow fringes to wing-coverts and tertials, yellowish-white undertail-coverts with dark green bases to the feathers, broad pale grey tail-band, and has very long-looking wings. The male has small dark maroon patch on mantle, with dark olive-green shoulder patch. The female is smaller and has dark green mantle. The juvenile is like adult female, but overall duller and paler, with rounded yellow tips to wing-coverts, broad yellow fringes to overall greener tertials and distinct white outer webs to primaries. The race andamicus generally suffused yellow on neck and, more especially, underparts and has distinct bright yellow fringes to secondaries.

Habitat: It is found in evergreen forest and at forest edges

Food habits: It is frugivorous, consuming figs and other fruits, including unripe ones.

Breeding habits:  They breed in Feb–Mar in Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The nest is built in sub canopy of Syzygium samarangense (Wax apple) and Macaranga peltata trees (Chandada). They lay a clutch of 2 eggs.Both the sexes incubate the eggs .The incubation period is 17-18 days.