Red-billed Pigeon
Red-billed Pigeon
Patagioenas flavirostris
At a Glance
A common bird of dry woods in Mexico and Central America, this big pigeon enters our area only in southern Texas. There it inhabits native woods along the Rio Grande, where it is uncommon in summer and rare in winter. The rich cooing song of the male may help the observer to discover the Red-bill as it perches, half hidden, in the top of a dense low tree.
All bird guide text and rangemaps adapted from Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman© 1996, used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Category
Pigeon-like Birds, Pigeons and Doves
IUCN Status
Least Concern
Habitat
Forests and Woodlands, Shrublands, Savannas, and Thickets
Region
Texas
Behavior
Direct Flight
Population
2.000.000
Range & Identification
Migration & Range Maps
Probably permanent resident in much of its range; some withdrawal from northernmost part of range (in Texas) during the winter.
Description
14" (36 cm). Very dark overall: maroon on head and chest, slaty below. Despite the name, the bill is mostly yellowish white (red only at base). Some Rock Pigeons are similarly dark-bodied but have different bill pattern.
Size
About the size of a Crow
Color
Gray, Purple, Red, Yellow
Wing Shape
Rounded
Tail Shape
Rounded, Square-tipped
Songs and Calls
Loud, high-pitched, clear coo, followed by a 3-syllable coo repeated 3 times.
Call Pattern
Flat, Undulating
Call Type
Hoot
Habitat
River woodlands, tall brush. In Texas, found mostly in relatively undisturbed native woods of hackberry, mesquite, huisache, ebony, and other trees. Farther south, inhabits dry woodlands of various types, generally avoiding more humid regions of rain forest.
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Behavior
Eggs
1, rarely 2. White. Incubation apparently by both parents, incubation period not well known. If adults are disturbed on nest, they put on a distraction display, dropping from the nest and fluttering low over the ground.
Young
Both parents probably feed young "pigeon milk." Development of young and age at first flight not well known. May raise several broods per year in the tropics.
Feeding Behavior
Forages mostly in trees and shrubs, climbing about among the branches to reach berries. Will also come to the ground to feed, including on waste grain in fields. Usually forages in pairs or small flocks.
Diet
Includes berries, seeds, nuts. Diet not known in detail. Feeds on many wild fruits and berries, including those of hackberry, mistletoe, wild fig, and many other plants. Also eats many acorns when available, and seeds of a variety of plants.
Nesting
Nesting behavior is not well known. Nest site is in tree, large shrub, or tangled vines, usually 8-30' above the ground, and usually on horizontal fork in branch. Nest (probably built by both sexes) is flimsy platform of sticks, lined with grasses and stems.
Conservation
Conservation Status
Has declined with loss of native habitat in Texas. In Mexico and Central America, vulnerable to overhunting.