Taiwan Green Pigeon (Treron formosae)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Taiwan Green Pigeon

Treron formosae Swinhoe, 1863

≈32 cmLength140 gWeight

It is a green pigeon whose male has purple-gray wing patches and whose call resembles a bamboo flute.

Busiest months: September–October · Most records: China, Japan, Philippines

Looks like Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon

Near Threatened

How to identify

Field marks

  1. Female: various shades of green overall
  2. Male: purple-gray patches on wings
  3. Taiwan (China) birds: crown rufous; female green overall
  4. Feathers around legs and feet never whitish, unlike White-bellied Green Pigeon

Male, female and young

Female is green overall; male has distinctive purple-gray wing patches.

Voice

A low whistle, “poo-aa-poooo”, rising gradually and ending in a trill, like a bamboo flute.

Similar species

Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon
Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon

Similar in appearance, but Taiwan Green Pigeon usually has darker plumage.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: September–October · Most records: China, Japan, Philippines

Taiwan Green Pigeon has been recorded at 35 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 3 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Kenting NP – Sheding Lingxiao Pavilion (Raptors Observation Spot)Taiwan (China)822 records
  2. Pingtung – Pingtung University of Science and TechnologyTaiwan (China)302 records
  3. Amami – Tatsugo – Amami Nature ForestJapan273 records
More places
  1. Hualien – Fenglin BeilinTaiwan (China)53 records
  2. Taipei – National Taiwan University Main CampusTaiwan (China)50 records
  3. Basco Plaza, BatanPhilippines48 records
  4. Basco Dump near Song Song Beach, BatanPhilippines16 records
  5. Basco Airport, BatanPhilippines16 records
  6. Pingtung – Donggang River Laopi SectionTaiwan (China)14 records
  7. Yilan – WuweigangTaiwan (China)10 records

Countries and regions with the most records

ChinaJapanPhilippines

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 Taiwan (China) green pigeon or whistling green pigeon (Treron formosae) is a bird in the family Columbidae. The species was first described by Robert Swinhoe in 1863. It is found in Taiwan (China) and Batanes in the Philippines.

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

Questions

How big is the Taiwan Green Pigeon?

The Taiwan Green Pigeon is about ≈32 cm long and weighs around 140 g.

Where does the Taiwan Green Pigeon live?

Its breeding range: Oriental: Taiwan (China) and far northern Philippines. It is most often recorded in China, Japan and Philippines.

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

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

Is the Taiwan Green Pigeon endangered?

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

What does the Taiwan Green Pigeon eat?

Main food: Fruit.

What family is the Taiwan Green Pigeon in?

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

At a glance

Length
≈32 cm
Weight
140 g
Habitat
Forest
Diet
Fruit
Lifestyle
Perches in trees
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Near Threatened
More measurements
Wing
195 mm
Tail
127 mm
Bill
23 mm
Tarsus
28 mm

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

Range

Oriental: Taiwan (China) and far northern Philippines

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 1
  • Treron formosae formosae Taiwan (China)

Classification

Family
Pigeons, Doves Columbidae
Genus
Treron

Other birds in the genus Treron

Cinnamon-headed Green PigeonCinnamon-headed Green PigeonTreron fulvicollisLittle Green PigeonLittle Green PigeonTreron olaxPink-necked Green PigeonPink-necked Green PigeonTreron vernansOrange-breasted Green PigeonOrange-breasted Green PigeonTreron bicinctusSri Lanka Green PigeonSri Lanka Green PigeonTreron pompadoraGrey-fronted Green PigeonGrey-fronted Green PigeonTreron affinisAshy-headed Green PigeonAshy-headed Green PigeonTreron phayreiAndaman Green PigeonAndaman Green PigeonTreron chloropterusPhilippine Green PigeonPhilippine Green PigeonTreron axillarisBuru Green PigeonBuru Green PigeonTreron aromaticusThick-billed Green PigeonThick-billed Green PigeonTreron curvirostraGrey-cheeked Green PigeonGrey-cheeked Green PigeonTreron griseicauda
Taiwan Green Pigeon

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