PigeonsRed-billed PigeonPatagioenas flavirostris
- ORDER: Columbiformes
- FAMILY: Columbidae
Basic Description
Beautifully shaded in soft purple, pink, and blue-gray, the Red-billed Pigeon is a widespread inhabitant of tropical deciduous forests from Costa Rica to the Rio Grande of southern Texas. This large pigeon spends most of its time high above the ground, plucking fruits and berries from the crowns of trees and shrubs. This species has only limited red on its mostly yellow bill, but this feature, along with its low-pitched song and dark tail, is useful in distinguishing it from similar pigeons across its range.
More ID InfoOther Names
- Paloma Piquirroja (Spanish)
- Pigeon à bec rouge (French)
- Cool Facts
- What color is a Red-billed Pigeon’s bill? You have to put the common and scientific names together to get the answer. The "flavirostris" part of the scientific name means “yellow bill” and describes the tip of the bill. Putting this together with the common name leads to the right answer: a pigeon with a yellowish bill and a red base.
- Red-billed Pigeons build minimalist nests—one consisted of just 45 twigs—but they have a very specific construction process. One individual sits continuously on the nest, while the other member of the pair looks for nesting material, delivering a single twig to its mate every 5 minutes or so, and then immediately heading off again in search of the next twig.