Order
Columbiformes
Family
Columbidae
Genus
Patagioenas
 
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Version 1.0

This is a historic version of this account.  Current version

SPECIES

Chilean Pigeon Patagioenas araucana

Mary Wexman, Alvaro Jaramillo, and Thomas S. Schulenberg
Version: 1.0 — Published September 27, 2013

Appearance

Distinguishing Characteristics

Chilean Pigeon is a large dark pigeon (Patagioenas). The body is primarily dark vinaceous, with gray wing coverts and a gray lower back and rump. There is a large patch of iridescent green on the nape, bordered above by a narrow wind band. The tail is relatively long and is gray, crossed with a broad blackish band and with a broader, paler gray tip. The sexes of Chilean Pigeon are similar.

Similar Species

Chilean Pigeon is similar to Band-tailed Pigeon (Patagioenas fasciata), but these species do not overlap geographically. Chilean Pigeon also is generally more vinaceous purple than Band-tailed Pigeon.

Detailed Description

The following description is based on Goodwin (1977) and Baptista et al. (1997):

Adult male: The body is primarily reddish purple or dark vinaceous purple. The nape is iridescent green; this patch is bordered anteriorly by a narrow white line. The lower back, rump, and uppertail coverts are gray. The wing coverts are gray to bluish gray; the primaries are black with a whitish fringes. The base of the rectrices is gray; the rectrices are crossed by a broad black central band, and are tipped with paler gray.

Adult female: Similar to the male, but duller and more brownish.

Juvenile: Unpatterned vinous gray brwon; wing coverts, rump, and rectrices blue gray.

Molts

Undescribed.

Bare Parts

Iris: orange

Orbitral ring: pink or yellow; orbital skin purple

Bill: black

Tarsi and toes: red

Bare parts color data from Lane (1897) and Goodwin (1977).

Measurements

Total length: 35 cm (Fjeldså and Krabbe 1990), 35-37 cm (Jaramillo 2003)

Linear measurements (from Johnson 1967; n = ?):

wing length: 209.8 ±2.19 mm

tail length: 125.2 ± 1.53 mm

bill length: 15.5 ± 0.23 mm

Mass: 200 g (Cofre et al. 2007; n = ?), 300 g (Figueroa and Corales S. 1999; n = ?), 340 g (Alfaro et al. 2010; n = ?)

Recommended Citation

Wexman, M., A. Jaramillo, and T. S. Schulenberg (2013). Chilean Pigeon (Patagioenas araucana), version 1.0. In Neotropical Birds Online (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/nb.chipig2.01