Columba fasciata
Band-tailed Pigeons feed in flocks, clinging clumsily to branches that bend under their weight. As the pigeons yo-yo up and down, they carefully pluck acorns, berries and seeds from neighboring limbs. The Band-tailed Pigeon primarily occurs west of the Rockies and is most likely to be encountered in the Pacific Northwest. This forest-dwelling pigeon very nearly suffered the same fate as the Passenger Pigeon of eastern North America. Flocks of Band-tailed Pigeons regularly visit mineral springs throughout their range, attracted by the dissolved calcium in the water-not unlike the way that deer and other hoofed mammals are attracted to salt licks. |
I.D.: Sexes similar: purple head and breast; white band on the back of the head; grayish band on the tail; dark rump; iridescent green nape; yellow, black-tipped bill; grayish wings. Size: L 13-15 in. (33-38 cm). Range: local breeder in the southern Colorado and Utah Rockies; extremely rare in the Rockies north of Colorado. Habitat: agricultural areas, open ponderosa pine forests and hillsides covered in fruit-bearing shrubs in the foothills and the lower montane. Nesting: typically west of the Rockies and south into New Mexico; near the crotch of a tree; fragile stick platform nest has very little lining; pair incubates the usually single egg for up to 20 days. Feeding: gleans vegetation for nuts, especially acorns; also eats other seeds and frequently berries and invertebrates during migration. Voice: owl-like, deep, hollow whoo-whoo-whoo. Similar Species: Rock Dove: white rump; dark bill; lacks the gray band on the tail. Mourning Dove: longer, white-edged tail; lacks the purple head and the glossy green nape. |
