Nilgiri Wood Pigeon

The Nilgiri wood pigeon is a large, dark grey pigeon with a distinctive black and white checkerboard patch on the back of the neck formed by white-tipped stiff feathers. The male has a paler grey crown, while the female has a darker grey crown with a pale throat, and the feet and base of the bill are red. It is found in the moist deciduous forests and sholas of the Western Ghats, mainly in the hills and the Nilgiris, though sometimes at lower elevations (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is mainly frugivorous and forages in the canopy of dense hill forest, usually singly, in pairs or in small groups, feeding almost entirely in the trees but sometimes descending to the ground for fallen fruit. It has been recorded taking small snails and other invertebrates, and by eating large fruit may help to disperse the seeds of many forest trees. The breeding season is March to July, with a flimsy platform of twigs and a single white egg often visible from below. SoIB 2023 rates it a Moderate conservation priority, with a long-term decline of about 46% and a stable current trend (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).