Green Imperial Pigeon (Ducula aenea)
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Green Imperial Pigeon

Ducula aenea (Linnaeus, 1766)

45 cmLength545 gWeight

Its back, wings, and tail have a green metallic gloss.

Busiest months: February–March · Most records: Sri Lanka, Malaysia, India

Near Threatened

How to identify

Field marks

  1. Back, wings, and tail with green metallic gloss
  2. Undertail-coverts chestnut

Male, female and young

Sexes similar in appearance.

Voice

Calls are low and resonant; often heard before it is seen.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: February–March · Most records: Sri Lanka, Malaysia, India

Green Imperial Pigeon has been recorded at 326 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 14 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Chidyatapu Biological ParkIndia1,529 records
  2. Sepilok – Rainforest Discovery CenterMalaysia1,239 records
  3. Danum Valley Borneo Rainforest LodgeMalaysia973 records
More places
  1. KalatangIndia954 records
  2. Kinabatangan River – SukauMalaysia944 records
  3. Tangkoko Batuangus NR – Forest andIndonesia921 records
  4. Danum Valley Field CentreMalaysia883 records
  5. Thattekkad Bird SanctuaryIndia798 records
  6. Yala National ParkSri Lanka722 records
  7. Kota Kinabalu – Tanjung Aru BeachMalaysia648 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Sri LankaMalaysiaIndiaPhilippinesIndonesiaCambodiaVietnamSingapore

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The green imperial pigeon (Ducula aenea) is a large forest pigeon. The large range extends from Nepal, southern India and Sri Lanka eastwards to southern China, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Green Imperial Pigeon?

The Green Imperial Pigeon is about 45 cm long and weighs around 545 g.

Where does the Green Imperial Pigeon live?

Its breeding range: Oriental: widespread. It is most often recorded in Sri Lanka, Malaysia and India.

When is the best time to see the Green Imperial Pigeon?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in February and March (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Green Imperial Pigeon endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Green Imperial Pigeon as Near Threatened.

What does the Green Imperial Pigeon eat?

Main food: Fruit.

What family is the Green Imperial Pigeon in?

It belongs to the family Pigeons, Doves (Columbidae), order Columbiformes.

At a glance

Length
45 cm
Weight
545 g
Habitat
Forest
Diet
Fruit
Lifestyle
Perches in trees
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Near Threatened
More measurements
Wing
236 mm
Tail
135 mm
Bill
30 mm
Tarsus
30 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Oriental: widespread

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 1
  • Ducula aenea sylvatica n India and Nepal to s China to Thailand and Indochina

Classification

Family
Pigeons, Doves Columbidae
Genus
Ducula

Other birds in the genus Ducula

Pink-bellied Imperial PigeonPink-bellied Imperial PigeonDucula poliocephalaWhite-bellied Imperial PigeonWhite-bellied Imperial PigeonDucula forsteniMindoro Imperial PigeonMindoro Imperial PigeonDucula mindorensisGrey-headed Imperial PigeonGrey-headed Imperial PigeonDucula radiataSpotted Imperial PigeonSpotted Imperial PigeonDucula carolaEnggano Imperial PigeonEnggano Imperial PigeonDucula oenothoraxNicobar Imperial PigeonNicobar Imperial PigeonDucula nicobaricaSpectacled Imperial PigeonSpectacled Imperial PigeonDucula perspicillataSeram Imperial PigeonSeram Imperial PigeonDucula neglectaElegant Imperial PigeonElegant Imperial PigeonDucula concinnaPacific Imperial PigeonPacific Imperial PigeonDucula pacificaMicronesian Imperial PigeonMicronesian Imperial PigeonDucula oceanica
Green Imperial Pigeon

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by sunnyjosef. ↗

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