Content
Doves in legends, myths, religions personify peace, harmony, fidelity - all the highest human qualities. A pink pigeon will most likely evoke a feeling of tenderness, a sense of magic and a kind fairy tale. The representative of this breed is an overseas bird; an ordinary person can see it only in the photo.
Description of the pink dove
You won't be able to see a real pink pigeon somewhere on the street. Those pink birds that can be found in squares and in parks of a big city are artificially painted in this color for the sake of a human whim using food coloring or a solution of potassium permanganate. Most often, these are peacock pigeons, because with their beautiful tail plumage they look very impressive.
A real pink dove exists, but in nature it lives only in one corner of the globe. The bird is named so because of the color of its main plumage on the head, neck, shoulders and abdomen. It is white with a dull pink tint. You can find out a representative of the pink pigeon family by the following description:
- the head is round, small in size, sitting on the neck of medium length;
- the wings are dark, can be gray or brown;
- the tail is in the form of a fan, has a brown color with a red tint;
- strong beak with a bright red base, changing to a light one towards its thickened tip;
- four-toed legs are also red in color, with strong sharp claws on the toes;
- brown or dark yellow eyes, surrounded by a red rim;
- body length - 32-38 cm;
- the weight is relatively small and can reach up to 350 g.
Pink pigeons are excellent pilots, showing virtuosity in flight over short distances. At the same time, being in the air, they usually produce a quiet sound "hu-huu" or "ku-kuu".
Habitat and abundance
The pink pigeon belongs to the endemic fauna and lives in a very limited area. You can meet it only in the evergreen forests of the southern part of the island of Mauritius (an island state) and on the east coast of the coral island of Egret, located in the Indian Ocean. The bird is hiding in the thickets among lianas and greenery, where there is enough food to survive and there are conditions for a more or less safe existence.
A rare bird of a pink dove began to be considered from the end of the 19th century, when only a few hundred individuals remained on the planet. By the end of the 20th century, their number had dropped to ten birds. And this served as a signal for taking urgent measures to save the population. Currently, thanks to the measures taken to preserve the species, about 400 individuals live in natural conditions and about 200 in captivity.
Pink pigeon lifestyle
Pink pigeons live in small flocks, about 20 individuals each. At puberty, they form monogamous pairs for reproduction, remaining faithful to each other for life. The mating season in natural conditions takes place once a year, in August-September. Mating and laying of eggs is also once a year. In zoos in the Northern Hemisphere, this process occurs in late spring - early summer, and chicks can appear all year round.
Before the start of the mating season, the pigeon finds a nesting place. Then the female is courted with all the rituals adopted by pigeons. The male walks around the female all the time, fluffing his tail, stretching his neck and taking an upright stance. Bends down and swells the goiter, cooing loudly.
After the female has accepted the male's offer, mating takes place.Then the newlyweds build a nest together in the crown of a tree, which the pigeon jealously guards from other birds. The dovewing lays two white eggs. Both parents take part in incubation. After 2 weeks, blind chicks appear. Parents feed them bird milk from their goiter. This food is rich in protein and everything necessary for the life of newborns.
Starting from the second week, solid foods are added to the diet of babies. At the age of one month, the chicks can already leave the parent nest, but they remain nearby for several more months. They become sexually mature in a year, with the female at 12 months, and the male 2 months later.
The nutrition of the pink pigeon consists of seeds, fruits, buds, young shoots, leaves of those plants that grow on the island of Mauritius. This species does not feed on insects. According to the conservation program, help points have been created for this population, in which grains of corn, wheat, oats and other grain crops are displayed for pigeons. In zoos, in addition, the diet of the pink pigeon is supplemented with herbs, fruits and vegetables.
Pink pigeons live up to 18-20 years old in captivity. Moreover, the female lives on average 5 years less than the male. In nature, pink pigeons rarely die of old age, because danger and enemies lie in wait for them at every step.
Conservation status and threats
The threat of the disappearance of the pink pigeon from the face of the planet led to the fact that, since 1977, measures to preserve the population began to be implemented in the Darell Fund for the Conservation of Nature. The Jersey Darell Zoo and the Mauritius Aviation have created conditions for captive breeding of the pink pigeon. As a result, in 2001, after the pigeons were released into the wild, in natural conditions, there were 350 individuals of this population.
Until now, the exact cause of the extinction of pink pigeons is unknown. Ornithologists name several possible ones, and they all come from a person:
- destruction of tropical forests, which were the main habitat of pigeons;
- pollution of the environment with chemicals used in agriculture;
- predation of animals brought to the island by humans.
The main threat to the existence of the pink pigeon is the destruction of nests, the destruction of clutches and chicks of birds by rats, mongooses, and the Japanese crab-eating macaque. Severe storms can significantly reduce the pigeon population, as happened in 1960, 1975 and 1979.
Scientists believe that without human help, the population of pink pigeons will not be able to preserve themselves in natural conditions for further existence. Therefore, it is necessary to continue measures to protect birds from predators and breeding them in captivity.
Conclusion
The pink pigeon is a rare bird. It is on the verge of extinction, and a person must do everything possible to preserve this population, to spread it in nature as widely as possible, since it only brings harmony and adorns life on the planet.
