Pigeon 9/10 - Cinnamon-headed Green Pigeon (Lifer 581/688)

These pigeon are gregarious roosting in a pair  or a group of many. They like to hang out perch high on barren tree away from human. We found  many colony along route 63 / Muadzam-Rompin trunk road nearing Simpang Tiga Leban Chondong or the off road of Kanpung Lanjut to Kuala Rompin.

The name "Cinnamon headed" follows the color of the male bird in a distinct bright maroon with patchy pink & orange tones. The female is plain green like the thick-billed  and others species but with slight different in color array of their green tones. Their red beak is unique with broad white tip.

This is coastal bird mainly seen in Swampland, Bakau forest and Scrub land  along the east coast of Peninsula from Dungun Rompin Mersing right down to Johor Bahru. Usually if sighted near the road it is advisable to shoot from the car first before embarking from the blind side of the road as the birds are skittish and wary of approaching human. In our case the birds were 50m away from us unfortunately and we approach thru the fringe tree undergrowth and shrubs.

Next to find  the Large Green Pigeon in Melaka/Janda Baik...........
 

Avian Sighting November 2019 - Jambu Fruit Dove

Jambu Fruit-dove makes regular appearance here in Bukit Tinggi Pahang whenever the Sunda fig trees are fruiting.

However  to see it you must be vigilant with a bit of bird luck as they come out irregularly or maybe its there but very discreet. One day its there and the next  day it may not come out. Nowadays the bird have appeared in many places whenever there is fruiting trees whether in Sg Congkak, Shah Alam, TRA and the list goes on. Somehow they know the season to visit by instinct.

This is the male speciment with its pink red head and orange beak. It is one shy bird and it is always weary of humankind.


HAPPY BIRDING!!!

Avian Lifer 478 - Yellow-vented Green Pigeon

LIFER 478

     Bukit Tinggi granted me a surprise catch a green pigeon which is a rarity in the highland. I was there alone at the  ole patch to see the resident chickens. After 2 session  I move out to look for the red-billed malkoha and red-bearded beeater. While shoooting a dark-necked tailorbird, I was called out by the resident gardener that a ficus tree was fruiting at the Japanese garden which is attracting many frugivorous birds. Saw some Red crowned Barbet, Brown Barbet as well as a pair of Silver-eared Broadbill until  a pair of Green Pigeon was spotted high up. Later identified it as the Yellow-vented.

Usually Yellow-vented GP are seen in coastal  marshland of Lumut  and lowland jungle  fringing hillside like  Kledang Sayong Range Ipoh, Kampar, Kuala Kubu Baru  and Taiping to name a few places. Like many other pigeon they are ranging and move around following the fruiting period from location to location.

The pigeon is more than a foot long. As you can see the vents of the tail is patchy yellow It also have a pintail which you can notice when its in flight. The male have a maroon shoulder patch whilst the female has plain but darker green shoulder. It has a striking and distinct  bluish beak which extend to its eye lore or eyering.

Sorry Kenny you were not there. Photo dedicated to u. Owe you a lunch cheerio

PIGEON 9/12 - Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon

This is my  lifer no 6 for the year 2016; the birds are trickling in rather slowly as you pass the 450 mark for a weekend birder like me. Met Danny boy  a very long time birding acquintance and Melaka  Ang when I was in Fraser's Hill last weekend 12 June 2016.  The encounter was about more than an hour in the evening session at about 4pm. They are usually 2-3 of them. Pigeon are one of the species that pair for life.

After feeding the sleepy mood. It will start eating again after a few minutes of rest

The acrobatic ethic of the pigeon earlier in the encounter left us frustrated as it feed behind the heavy foliage and branches in between. It finally settle down as we patiently waited for an opening to get a full clear shot. Pigeons of the wild kind usually feed in the canopy in my many encounters prefering fig mulberries  and  fruits of the tiniest kind.

The wedge-tailed green pigeon or Kokla green pigeon (Treron sphenurus) is a species of bird in the Columbidae family. It is greenish yellow with wedge shaped tail. with a  rounded tip.  The crown is tinged with orange-rufous with variable amount of maroon on back and scapulars in male but absent in female. 

Malaysia Peninsula subspecies robinsoni; the male  has no rufous apricot crown or breasted and is slightly smaller at 29cm slightly smaller than the rock pigeon (33cm) as a comparison. 




It is found in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It ranges across Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, Tibet and Vietnam.  Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. In Malaysia it is easier to see in the hill forest like Fraser's Hill or
Cameron Highland.

This is the male.

It has a nice blue tinged  iris and beak compared to the Yellow-vented (which I yet to see)  which the latter has an extended blue eyering & lore. The male have a maroon patch to its shoulder wing.

Next Targets are the Yellow-vented  (Kledang) followed by Large Green (Bukit Larut) & the Cinnamon-headed (Panti/Singapore).

PIGEON 8/14 - Thick-billed Pigeon

Thick-billed Pigeon

They were in a family of 6 birds. Kept to the high canopy of 50 ft up. Picture enough for id. Their beak is thicker than the others pigeon with a reddish tinge at the nostril Both male and female have this bright greenish eyering but the former have chestnut maroon wing whilst the female plainer green

Uncommon find in low land forest upto 1200m because seldom seen at lower storey. Very suspicious of humans because they eat them...........size about 25-27cm almost a footer yummy to them kampung folks and orang asli.

How Kevin got his shots so close I do not know...............bird luck to u

PIGEON 7/14 - Rock Pigeon

 Rock Pigeon

Very common indeed but still wonderful iridescent colors.

PIGEON 6/14 - Pink-necked Pigeon

 Pink-necked Pigeon

Always in a pair. I think they are couple for life. They have this unique flapping sound when they are in the air. If not they hang around quietly together. This is my old photo collection of encounters at my place

 

PIGEON 5/14 - Pied Imperial Pigeon

Pied Imperial Pigeon

 

 

Pied Imperial Pigeon is found in abundance at Berjaya Resort at Lalang Beach. They colonised the Pulau Renggis just 300m out from Lalang jetty They gather in the hundreds during dusk and fly into the forest at dawn in several flocks at a time. It is quite spectacular.

Pulau Renggis was also reported to house the Frigate birds but none were sighted when I was there.

 

These pigeons were hunted by the villagers at one time but less I hope now when tourism and business boom in the island. Size is 40 cm all in white with black tip feathers to the wings and tail

 

PIGEON 4/14 - Nicobar Pigeon

Nicobar Pigeon

This is the most gorgeous pigeon you can find in Malaysia that is if you chance on it during their visit to our islands in the month of February. Resident of Nicobar Island off Andaman/Coco Isles off Myammar and Indonesia. I have yet to know of any sighting though by fellow Malaysian birders in our waters.

This is a large, heavy pigeon at 40cm in length. It is mainly metallic green with green and copper hackles on the neck. The head and upper neck, flight feathers and breast are dark grey. The tail is very short and pure white. There is a black knob on the base of the bill, and the strong legs are dark red. This is not a very vocal species, but possesses a low pitched repetitive call.

Females are slightly smaller than males; they have a smaller bill knob, shorter hackles and browner underparts. Immature birds have a black tail.

The Nicobar Pigeon roams in flocks from island to island, including inhabited sites, seeking its food of seeds, fruit and some invertebrates, and is attracted to areas where grain is available; usually, it sleeps on offshore islets where no predators occur and spends the day in areas with better food availability. Its flight is quick, with the regular beats and an occasional sharp flick of the wings which are characteristic of pigeons in general. Peculiarly, groups tend to fly in columns or single file, not in a loose flock as most other pigeons do; the white tail seems to serve as a sort of "taillight" when crossing water at dawn or dusk. These observations are also supported by inexperienced birds, which could lead a group astray, lacking this feature.

This species nests in dense forest, building a stick nest in a tree and laying one elliptical, faintly blue-tinged white egg.


For my lifer here it is shot in Penang bird park. Well if you cannot find them in their natural habitat pay and see lor .............I am not so crazy a birder to hunt them in the wild de chance is 1:1000. Bird luck to you.............

 

PIGEON 1/15 - Little Green Pigeon

 Little Green Pigeon

PIGEON 3/14 - Mountain Imperial Pigeon

Mountain Imperial Pigeon

A lifer and it was huge In fact the largest species in SEA Asia. Matured as plump as a chicken 45-50cm Early morning 8.00am when they are less light they hang around in the top of canopy 60-80 feet. do not expect them to come down to lower levels though. Always in a pair for life I think

PIGEON 2/14 - Green Imperial Pigeon

  Green Imperial  Pigeon

Jason asked me to look out for the Pied but got this one. This is a 100m or 300ft shot into the virgin jungle of Tioman Isle. There was a pair of them

Size 45cm or more which very large bird indeed.No wonder the kampung folks hunts them with the Pied. Have this green metallic winged with pale uniform grey head to body unlike the Mountain .