Nilgiri Wood Pigeon

Columba elphinstonii (Sykes, 1832)

Nilgiri Wood Pigeon, Columba elphinstonii, breeds in southwestern India in the Western Ghats and the Nilgiri Hills. It is a pigeon of moist deciduous forest and shola, and it is also recorded from lower ground in the Western Ghats. Its most useful field mark is the bold black-and-white checkered patch on the back of the neck. The bird is mainly associated with hill forest, where it is often seen in the canopy. Some small relict populations remain on high hill ranges such as the Biligirirangan Hills and the Nandi Hills near Bangalore.

Order

Columbiformes

Family

Columbidae — Pigeons, Doves

Breeding range

Oriental Region: sw India