Pigeon (Scaly-naped)

The Scaly-naped is a large pigeon (13-15") that inhabits all the West Indies except the Bahamas. It appears gray or dark at a distance, but the head is wine colored and it has these distinctive ruffles on the nape of the neck. The sexes are similar but the eye ring is reddish in males and yellowish in females.

The Scaly-Naped pigeon feeds in trees on fruits, seeds, leaf buds and snails. Although large, it manages to hide in trees and is typically seen flying in the distance or when it is perched on a far-away tree limb. Its song is a slow series of four notes, with the last note prolonged: who-hoo-hoo-hoooo

The nest is a loose, stick platform constructed on a tree limb, or occasionally on the ground. The female lays 1 or 2 glossy, white eggs which incubate in 14 to 15 days. The young fledge in 18 to 22 days.


Photographed in the wild, St Thomas USVI (2015)