Malabar imperial pigeon

The Malabar imperial pigeon or Nilgiri imperial pigeon (Ducula cuprea) is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to the Western Ghats of India.^[2]

Malabar imperial pigeon
In Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu, India
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Columbiformes
Family:	Columbidae
Genus:	Ducula
Species:	D. cuprea
Binomial name
Ducula cuprea (Jerdon, 1840)

Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It previously was considered a subspecies of the mountain imperial pigeon, but was split due to differences in morphology and plumage. This split was later supported by an analysis of its calls.^[3]

References

1. BirdLife International (2021). "Ducula cuprea". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
2. "Malabar Imperial-Pigeon - eBird". ebird.org. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
3. Niranjana, C; Praveen, J (2021). "Vocalisation of Mountain Imperial Pigeon Ducula badia and its taxonomic implications" (PDF). Indian Birds. 17 (3): 70–72. Retrieved 20 September 2024.