About Alectroenas pulcherrimus (Scopoli, 1786)
The Seychelles blue pigeon reaches approximately 10 inches (25.4 cm) in total length. Its head and breast are covered in silver-grey feathers; these feathers can be raised when the bird is excited, creating a ruffled appearance. The bird’s wings, under-body, and tail are dark blue. It has a distinct bright crimson patch of orbital skin that stretches from its forehead to its crown. Its bill is dull yellow, and its legs are dark grey. Juvenile Seychelles blue pigeons have a very different appearance: they have a dark grey head and bib, dark greenish brown upperparts with pale yellow fringes, dark crown feathers with clear green edges, and a dark pink wattle surrounding the eye. This species occurs on all the larger granitic islands of the Seychelles, as well as Denis Island and Bird Island, which lie on the edge of the Seychelles Bank. Population numbers of the Seychelles blue pigeon have increased greatly since humans stopped exploiting the species for food; this exploitation stopped around the late 1970s. After exploitation ended, the species recolonized Curieuse in the early 1980s, Denis in the late 1980s, Aride Island in 1990, and Bird Island in 2009.
