About Columba arquatrix Temminck, 1808
Scientific name: Columba arquatrix Temminck, 1808. Description: Adult male African olive pigeons are large pigeons, measuring 37 to 42 cm (15 to 17 in) in length and weighing 300 to 450 g (11 to 16 oz). Their back and wings are maroon, with shoulders that are heavily speckled with white spots. Their underparts are maroon with heavy white spotting, and their head is grey with yellow patches around the eye and a yellow bill. Their neck plumage, which is used in display, is streaked maroon and white. Their underwing and undertail are dark grey, and their feet are yellow. Females are very similar to males but are somewhat duller in color. Juvenile birds have dark brown plumage in place of the maroon and grey seen in adults, their bare body parts are dull greenish-yellow, and their wing feathers have pale fringes. In flight, this pigeon appears very dark. Its flight is quick, with regular beats and an occasional sharp flick of the wings, a pattern characteristic of pigeons in general. Its call is a loud coo coo. Habitat: This is a species that occupies cool, moist forest canopies located above 1,400 m (4,600 ft) in altitude, though it can occur locally at altitudes as low as 700 m (2,300 ft). It will also use mountain fynbos, second growth, and clearings, and will feed on agricultural land when it is not persecuted.
