Japanese Wood-Pigeon (Columba janthina)

Other Names (World)
Japanese Woodpigeon, Japanese Wood-Pigeon, Black Pigeon, Black Wood-Pigeon, Japanese Wood Pigeon

Family
Columbidae (Pigeons, Doves)

Size
37 - 43 cm

First Described (Guide)
Temminck, 1830

Habitat
Broadleaf evergreen subtropical and temperate forest.

Range (Guide)

Japan (B) (NB), South Korea (B).

Vagrant to China (mainland), Russia (Asian), Taiwan (China).

Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010) and decreasing.

Status NT
Deforestation and hunting is the main threat.

For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Voice
Prolonged, continuous deep moaning or growling 'u wuu...' or 'u uu...', somewhat like a lowing cow. Also a dry 'gnerrr', like a bleating goat.

Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (20)...)

Japanese Wood Pigeon (Columba janthina) [XC285874]
by Peter Boesman from Tairo-Ike, Miyakejima, Japan (song)

Japanese Wood Pigeon (Columba janthina) [XC285879]
by Peter Boesman from Tairo-Ike, Miyakejima, Japan (song)

Subspecies
Belongs to a superspecies of dark-coloured, iridescent Asian and Australasian forms, including Metallic Pigeon (Columba vitiensis) and White-headed Pigeon (Columba leucomela), and the extinct Bonin Woodpigeon (Columba versicolor) and Ryukyu Woodpigeon (Columba jouyi). Yellow-legged Pigeon (Columba pallidiceps) may also be related. Birds of southern Ryukyu Is formerly awarded separate subspecies, stejnegeri.

The following 3 subspecies are recognised:

janthina Temminck, 1830 - Small islands Swest of South Korea and off Japan south through Ryukyu Is.
nitens ! (Stejneger, 1887) - Ogasawara (Bonin) and Iwo (Volcano) Is (almost certainly extinct).
stejnegeri (Kuroda, Nagamichi, 1923) - Yaeyama Is. (Ryukyu Is., Japan).

References
See References.

Files:

JPG files for Japanese Wood-Pigeon (Columba janthina) - 10 files

More Information

BirdLife International

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BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

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