About Patagioenas squamosa (Bonnaterre, 1792)
The scaly-naped pigeon, scientifically named Patagioenas squamosa (Bonnaterre, 1792), is a large slate grey pigeon that measures 14 to 16 inches long. It has maroon-colored plumage around the neck, and the plumage on its nape has a scaly appearance, which gives the species both its common name and its scientific name. A bare patch of skin surrounds the bird's red eyes; this bare patch is usually reddish in males and more yellow in females. The legs and base of the bill are red, while the rest of the bill is light in color. The range of the scaly-naped pigeon covers both the Greater Antilles (excluding Jamaica and the Bahamas) and the Lesser Antilles. This species generally lives in rainforests, but it can also be found in drier lowland woodlands, and it is locally common near human settlements. Its populations are threatened by hunting across Caribbean regions, particularly in Puerto Rico where the species is highly abundant. Hurricanes have also caused population declines, by damaging the vegetation and environment that the species depends on. When breeding, the scaly-naped pigeon lays one to two eggs in a nest that it builds mostly in trees.
