Nilgiri wood-pigeon (Columba elphinstonii) |Also known
as:||Nilgiri wood pigeon| |Size||Length: 42 cm (2)| |Weight||383
g (2)| The Nilgiri wood-pigeon is classified as Vulnerable (VU)
on the IUCN Red List (1). The most striking feature of the
beautiful Nilgiri wood-pigeon (Columba elphinstonii) is the
black and white checkerboard pattern on the back of its neck.
Unlike its sometimes unpopular urban cousin, the rock pigeon
(Columba livia), which is a familiar inhabitant of cities and
parks, the Nilgiri wood-pigeon is a rather more rare bird,
endemic to the Western Ghats in India (2). The adult male
Nilgiri wood-pigeon has dark brown or black plumage with a
wonderful maroon sheen on its upperparts (2) and a darker grey
or black chest and tail. Its face is also grey. The female and
juvenile Nilgiri wood pigeons are slightly less glossy, lacking
the metallic sheen to some degree, but otherwise appear very
similar to the adult male (3). The Nilgiri wood-pigeon is one of
only 16 bird species endemic to the Western