Nicobar pigeon: The closest relative of the dodo

The Nicobar pigeon, native to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Malay Archipelago and a few islands of Micronesia, is hailed as some of the lovely pigeons on the planet. It’s draped in a vibrant plumage—with hues of inexperienced, blue, yellow and copper—that explode right into a bomb of colors within the daylight. The fowl’s feathers are iridescent because of the many layers of keratin air sacs within the feathers. Its ornate look makes it a primary attraction in lots of zoos and aviaries the world over.

But that’s not the one fascinating truth in regards to the Nicobar pigeon. DNA research have proven that it is usually the one dwelling cousin of extinct birds just like the dodo, the Rodrigues solitaire of Madagascar and the noticed inexperienced pigeon of the Pacific Islands. Scientists have recognized two subspecies of the pigeon: one is endemic to Palau Island within the Pacific Ocean, and the opposite subspecies is present in all different components of its vary. 

Nesting in giant colonies on the timber of dense forests, the feminine lays one or two eggs within the breeding season. Once the eggs hatch, each mother and father feed the chicks ‘pigeon milk’—a mammalian milk-like crumbly secretion excessive in fats and protein produced within the neck pouch of most pigeons. The Nicobar pigeon eats numerous meals—seeds, fruits, buds and grains. Since it lacks grinding enamel, it ingests stones, like different herbivorous birds and dinosaurs to grind meals. 

The fowl’s magnificence has turn out to be a bane for its personal survival as Nicobar pigeons are trapped for the pet commerce. They are additionally hunted for meals on many islands the place they dwell. Some persons are after the fowl for the gizzard stone, present in its abdomen, which is utilized in jewelry. As we clear the forests in most of the islands which can be house to those birds, for plantations, timber or growth, the fowl’s habitat is quickly being misplaced. Macaques, rats and cats, launched into the islands by people, have additionally decreased their numbers. Today, the Nicobar pigeon is assessed as ‘Nearly Threatened’ by the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species. Will the Nicobar pigeon’s destiny comply with that of its extinct cousin? We will know with time.

—Spoorthy Raman