Hobbies And Interests
Appearance
An adult red-billed pigeon can grow to be 14 inches long. It has a reddish-purple or maroon coloration on its head, shoulders and breasts. The wings, belly, rump and tail are dark gray. The eyes are orange with a red ring around the outsides. The base of the beak is a light red color, while the tip is yellowish-white. Males and females of this species have a similar appearance, except the males have a deeper coloration. Juvenile red-billed pigeons have a duller coloration on their body, with black eyes and bills.
Habitat
The red-billed pigeon is a tropical bird. Its range stretches from Texas's lower Rio Grande Valley to Costa Rica during the breeding season. The bird migrates further south during the winter months. It prefers to live in dense forest regions, but it can also be found living near forest clearings and tree groves near rivers. It makes its nest in trees or bushes. The nest is composed of sticks and lined with grass and other fibers.
Diet
The red-billed pigeon often feeds in the top regions of tall trees. Its diet consists of nuts, seeds, figs and other wild fruits. The red-billed pigeon takes advantage of its environment, in that the tropical open woodlands it inhabits often has a healthy supply of the red-billed pigeon's staple foods. This bird can also take advantage of human agriculture. Local crops of fruits and nuts can supplement the red-billed pigeon's diet of wild foods.
Call
The call of the red-billed pigeon is similar to the coos of other pigeon species. The call features a loud cooing sound consisting of four syllables. The first coo of the pigeon's call is followed by three successive cooing syllables. The bird's voice is clear and high-pitched. The bird's wings also produce a distinct and recognizable sound. The flapping of the red-billed pigeon's wings create a loud, clapping noise as the bird ascends into the air to begin flying.