Band-tailed Pigeon

Band-tailed Pigeon

Columba fasciata

Although this large pigeon looks a lot like the introduced Rock Pigeon, it's a native. The Band-tailed Pigeon is found in two distinct regions in the American West, as well as throughout Central and South America

Cool Facts		Photo taken from: The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America by David Allen Sibley
Though the species has two distinct breeding populations in the United States, individuals do move from one region to the other. One Band-tailed Pigeon banded in Oregon was shot a year later in Florida, well outside the normal range. An Oregon study found that the average distance a Band-tailed Pigeon traveled from its nest to a feeding site was 5 km (3.1 mi). In June, and again in the late summer, they congregate at mineral springs where they ingest salts. Unlike most birds, including other pigeons, they are able to drink without raising their head. The Band-tailed Pigeon is the largest in North America. The parasitic louse Columbicola extinctus, believed to have become extinct with the extinction of the Passenger Pigeon, was recently rediscovered on the Band-tailed Pigeon.
Description
Adult Description Large pigeon. Dark overall. White collar on nape. Tail dark gray at base, light gray across the tip. Feet yellow. Immature Description Juvenile lacks white crescent and iridescent patch on nape.

Range Map

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Columbiformes
Family:	Columbidae
Subfamily:	Columbinae
Genus:	Patagioenas
Species:	Patagioenas fasciata
Subspecies:	Patagioenas fasciata albilinea Patagioenas fasciata crissalis Patagioenas fasciata fasciata Patagioenas fasciata letonai Patagioenas fasciata monilis Patagioenas fasciata parva Patagioenas fasciata roraimae Patagioenas fasciata vioscae

Sound

Repeated deep hooting coos, rising slightly in pitch. Wing clap on taking flight.

Identification and Information

See Anatomy of a Bird

Body

Length Range: 36-38 cm (14-15 in)
Weight: 354 g (12.5 oz)
Size: Medium (9 - 16 in)
Color Primary: Gray, Purple or Violet, Sheen or Iridescence
Underparts: Purple-gray with white belly.
Upperparts: Purple-gray
Back Pattern: Solid
Belly Pattern: Solid
Breast Pattern: Solid

Head

Bill Shape: All-purpose
Eye Color: In captive young, pale yellow to brownish; becomes red-brown then blood red in adults. Outer ring varies: pink, yellow, orange or, most commonly, brown.
Head Pattern: Plain, Unique pattern
Crown Color: Purple
Forehead Color: Purple
Nape Color: Iridescent dark green below white neck ring.
Throat Color: Purple
Cere color: No Data

Flight

Flight Pattern: Swift strong direct flight.
Wingspan Range: 64 cm (25 in)
Wing Shape: Broad-Wings, Long-Wings
Tail Shape: Fan-shaped Tail
Tail Pattern: Banded
Upper Tail: Gray with dark gray terminal band.
Under Tail: Gray with dark gray terminal band.
Leg Color: Yellow

Breeding

Breeding Location: Forests, coniferous, Mountains
Breeding Type: Monogamous
Breeding Population: Uncommon to fairly common
Egg Color: White
Number of Eggs: 1 - 2
Incubation Days: 18 - 20
Egg Incubator: Both sexes
Nest Material: Flimsy platform of twigs.
Migration: Migratory
Condition at Hatching: Helpless, with long orange-yellow down.

Other Names

Similar Species

Pigeon à queue barrée (French)
Paloma de collar, Paloma collareja, Paloma torcaza, Paloma encinera (Spanish)

Rock Pigeon has pale to white rump, a dark, not light, band to tip of tail, red legs and feet, and a dark bill.

Conservation Status

Populations declining in most areas.

Habitat

Sources used to Construct this Page:

Breeds in wet coniferous forests along the Pacific Coast and in mixed evergreen forests.
Also in dry montane coniferous forests of the interior, and urban and suburban areas.

Keppie, D. M., and C. E. Braun. 2000. Band-tailed Pigeon (Columba fasciata). In The Birds of North America, No. 530 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.