1281, Treron nepalensis.
The Thick-billed Green Pigeon.
Toria nipalensis, Hodgs. As. Res. xix, p. 164, pl. ix (head and foot), (1836) ; Blyth & Wald. Birds Burnt, p. 143. Treron nipalensis, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 847 ; id. Cat. p. 228 ; Jerdon, B. 1. iii, p. 445; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xliii, pt. 2, p. 171; Hume & Oates, S. F. iii, p. 160; Hume & Dav. S. F. vi, p. 410; Hume, Cat. no. 771: Bingham, S. F. ix, p. 193; Hume & Ingiis, ibid. p. 257; Oates, B. B. ii. p. 306; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 289; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) v, p. 619; vii, p. 423 ; id. Cat. B. M. xxi, p. 34. Treron nepalensis, Oates in Hume's N. & E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 370.
Thoria, Nepalese.
Coloration. Male. Forehead ashy grey, growing darker on the crown, passing on the nape into the green of the neck all round, with the sides of the head, chin, and lower surface ; back, scapulars, and most of the lesser wing-coverts chestnut; tertiaries, median coverts, and some of the outer smaller coverts olive ; greater coverts and primary and secondary quills black, median and greater coverts and tertiaries with broad, secondaries with narrow yellow borders ; rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail above green, generally brighter than the neck ; outer tail-feathers above grey, with a black band, below black, with a very broad grey tip ; flanks darker green, with white edges ; wing-lining slaty grey; under tail-coverts pale cinnamon.
Female green on the mantle instead of chestnut, and with the lower tail-coverts whitish with dark green bars.
Base of upper mandible bright red, rest of bill pale yellowish to greenish white; irides orange, with an inner deep blue ring; orbital skin pea-green; legs and feet lake-pink to coral-red.
Length about 10.5; tail 3.3 ; wing 5.75 ; tarsus .8 ; bill from gape .95.
Distribution. Bare in the Eastern Himalayas at low elevations as far west as Nepal, occasionally in Lower Bengal, in Eastern Bengal and Assam, throughout the Burmese countries in the hill-tracts, and sometimes in the better-wooded parts of the low country; this species is also found in Siam and Cochin China, the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo, and the Philippines.
Habits, &c. Very similar to those of other Green Pigeons. This bird is equally gregarious and social: it has a hoarse note, uttered when feeding, and also a fine mellow whistle. The nest and eggs resemble those of Crocopus, and the breeding-season in Tenasserim, where Bingham met with several nests, was at the end of February and in March. An egg measured 1.13 by .89.
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