In a world where the dodo bird remains a historical legend, its closest living relative, the Nicobar pigeon, offers a window into the past.
Residing on the Indian Nicobar Islands, these remarkable birds share an ancestral connection with the long-lost dodo despite their dissimilar appearances.
Unlike their famous but extinct counterparts, Nicobar pigeons are a vibrant reality. Their dazzling iridescent plumage stands as a testament to evolution’s marvel.
Isolated on the tranquil Indian Nicobar Islands, devoid of natural predators, these pigeons embraced their true colors, distinguished from their avian peers by their brilliant feathers.
Both the Nicobar pigeon and the dodo bird have chosen island life and, sadly, a shared vulnerability to extinction.
The echoes of history reverberate as hunting, habitat degradation, and the intrusion of alien predators imperil these majestic ground-dwellers.
Their status teeters on the brink of being “near threatened,” echoing the past plight of the dodo, a disappearance triggered by identical factors centuries ago.
Nature’s palette adorns the Nicobar pigeon, its form a canvas of various hues. With a length surpassing its kin, it boasts metallic blue-green and copper-bronze tones on its upper body.
Distinctive white tail coverts and a tail offset its radiant, mane-like neck feathers. Diverging in size, females exhibit subdued brown underparts and shorter neck feathers.
A capable flier, the pigeon prefers terrestrial dining, plucking succulent fruits and seeds from the forest floor.
Regrettably, these birds fall victim to consumption and adornment, as their gizzard stones are fashioned into jewelry, and their beauty subjects them to the pet trade.
As we embrace the vibrant existence of the Nicobar pigeon, we’re reminded of the fragile thread that connects us to vanished species. Let us learn from the past and strive to safeguard these living remnants of history.
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