Scaled Pigeon
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[Photo] Scaled Pigeon, Columba speciosa. Bird Stamp of Suriname, 2003. Source: http://www.bird-stamps.org/species/66033.htm

The Scaled Pigeon, Patagioenas speciosa (see Johnson et al., 2001), is a large New World tropical dove. It is a resident breeder from southern Mexico south to western Ecuador, southern Brazil, northern Argentina, and Trinidad.

The Scaled Pigeon is fairly common in semi-open forest. It builds a stick platform nest in a tree and lays two white eggs.

Its flight is high, fast and direct, with the regular beats and an occasional sharp flick of the wings which are characteristic of pigeons in general. It is usually very wary, since it is frequently hunted.

The Scaled Pigeon is 36cm long and weighs normally about 290g . Adult males have mainly purple brown plumage, with a paler scaly appearance to the neck and underparts. The lower underparts are whitish edged with purple. The eyering, legs and bill are red, the latter having a white tip. The female is dull dark brown rather than purplish, and is slightly smaller than the male.

Scaled Pigeons feed mainly on forest fruits and seeds. The call is a series of deep cooing cro ku-ks that differs markedly from that of its relatives, such as the White-crowned Pigeon (Mahler & Tubaro 2001). This is a solitary bird which does not form flocks.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scaled_Pigeon

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