African Olive Pigeon in Uganda (“Columba arquatrix”)

What to Know About the African Olive Pigeon in Uganda?

The African Olive Pigeon in Uganda is one of the Uganda Bird Species seen during Bird watching in Uganda. The African olive pigeon or Rameron pigeon is a pigeon which is a resident breeding bird in Uganda. It is locally common, although sizeable gaps in its distribution occur due to its habitat requirements.

The adult male African olive pigeon is a large pigeon at 37 to 42 cm in length and a weight of 300 to 450 g.

How Does the African Olive Pigeon in Uganda Look Like?

Its back and wings are maroon, with the shoulders heavily speckled with white spots. The underparts are maroon with heavy white spotting, and the head is grey with yellow patches around the eye, and a yellow bill.

The neck plumage, used in display, is streaked maroon and white, the underwing and under tail are dark grey, and the feet are yellow.

Females are very similar but somewhat duller. Juvenile birds have the maroon and grey replaced with dark brown, the bare parts are a dull greenish-yellow, and the wing feathers have pale fringes.

In flight, this pigeon looks very dark. Its flight is quick, with the regular beats and an occasional sharp flick of the wings which are characteristic of pigeons in general.

How Does the African Olive Pigeon in Uganda Sing and Make Calls?

The call is a loud coo coo.

How Does the African Olive Pigeon in Uganda Feed?

The African olive pigeon feeds on fruit and berries, mainly picked in the canopy, but it will also descend for fallen fruit and take some insects and caterpillars.

It favors the fruit of a highly invasive plant, the bugweed. Birds fly considerable distances from their roosts to feeding areas, and young or non-breeding birds form flocks.