Justification This species has not been recorded with certainty since 1931, and it may have been severely impacted by introduced mammals, logging and hunting. However, it probably remains extant, because there were unconfirmed records in 1989 in South Sumatra, and the species's predilection for remote and rarely visited small islands may have led to it being under-recorded. Any remaining population may be tiny, and for these reasons it is treated as Critically Endangered.

Family/Sub-family Columbidae

Species name author Bonaparte, 1855

Taxonomic source(s) Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993)

Identification 34-38 cm. Large, silvery-grey and black pigeon. Male mostly pale bluish-grey with black primaries and secondaries. Uppertail-coverts and base of tail greyish-white, distal half of tail black. Orbital skin red. Female similar but slightly darker and less silvery. Similar spp. Pied Imperial-pigeon Ducula bicolor is extremely similar at a distance, but slightly larger, generally white rather than silvery and lacks red orbital skin. Voice Undocumented. Hints Almost always encountered on small islands.

Population estimate

Population trend

Range estimate (breeding/resident)

Country endemic?

<50

unset

11,800 km²

No

Range & population Columba argentina appears to have a highly restricted range, principally confined to islands off Sumatra, Indonesia (e.g. Simeulue, Mentawi Islands, Riau and Lingga archipelagos), and off the west coast of Sarawak, Malaysia and Kalimantan, Indonesia (e.g the Karimata and Natuna Islands, including Burong). There is one confirmed record each from mainland Sumatra and Kalimantan. Recent reports from South Sumatra province have not been confirmed and are treated as provisional. There is also a provisional record from Pulau Talang Besar in the Talang Talang Islands off western Borneo of one bird seen in 2001¹. Formerly locally common, it has evidently declined drastically as there are no confirmed records since 1931, although this is perhaps a consequence of its predilection for rarely visited, remote islands.

Important Bird Areas Click here to view map showing IBAs where species is recorded and triggers any of the IBA criteria.

Ecology: It inhabits mangroves, woodland and coconut groves in the lowlands and hills of offshore islands, occasionally being found in similar habitats below 100 m on mainland Sumatra and Borneo. Although poorly known, available evidence suggests it wanders seasonally or disperses between islands in response to food supply.

Threats Too little is known about the species to identify threats, although it may be speculated that settlement, deforestation, disturbance, hunting on small islands and the introduction of mammalian predators may have caused widespread declines as is the case for a number of other declining columbiformes.

Conservation measures underway No measures are known, although recent provisional observations were made in two protected areas, the Berbak Game Reserve and Padang-Sugihan Wildlife Reserve, both in South Sumatra.

Conservation measures proposed Conduct surveys on islands within its historical range (and mangroves and swamp-forest of South Sumatra province) to clarify its current distribution, population status, movements and attendant threats. Formulate a conservation strategy involving protection of key islands, especially those supporting breeding populations.

References BirdLife International (2001). 1. Wilson (2004).

Further web sources of information

Fully detailed species accounts from the Threatened birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book (BirdLife International 2001), together with new information collated since the publication of the Red Data Book

Text account compilers Phil Benstead (BirdLife International), Pete Davidson (BirdLife International), Andy Symes (BirdLife International), Joe Tobias (BirdLife International)

IUCN Red List evaluators Jeremy Bird (BirdLife International), Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International), Andy Symes (BirdLife International)

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Columba argentina. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 10/2/2010

This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.

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