Bird 41 – Nicobar Pigeon

Do I ever have a bobby-dazzler for you today.

Check this bird out:

The Nicobar Pigeon (Caloenas nicobarica), obviously of the order Columbiformes. To be honest, I don’t think I need to say much about this one.

Clearly this is an amazing pigeon, whose amazingness speaks for itself. I mean, come on. it has neck tassel! And iridescence, so much iridescence.

But here’s a fun fact. Following on from last week, the Nicobar Pigeon is the closest living relative to the Dodo. I know, right! Get out of town!

They live on a small group of island in the Indian Ocean known as the, get this, Nicobar Islands. As is the case with many of the birds we honour here at Bird of the Week, the Nicobar Pigeon is at risk of extinction. Mostly because of people, but for a really bizarre reason. Well, there’s actually a few reasons: they’re trapped by the exotic pet trade (but to be fair who wouldn’t want one), they’re also killed for eatings, but they are also also killed for jewellery. In their stomachs they have a gizzard stone that allows them to digest hard seeds and nuts, but people kill them to fashion the stone into jewellery. 

Damn it pigeon, was it not enough to be fabulous on the outside, you had to have stomach jewellery as well. But hey, let’s not start victim blaming, here. Pigeons are always in the right. Always!

I also like that it seems to have a sinister bearing. This pigeon is more fabulous than you could ever dream, is unimpressed that you want it’s stomach gem and it’ll take you down.

03/09/2018