Reproductive biology of the band-tailed pigeon in Colorado and New Mexico
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Abstract
Band-tailed pigeons (Columba fasciata) occur in two major populations in western North America, a coastal population (C. f. monilis) and an interior population (C. f. fasciata) (A.O.U. 1957). The interior population inhabits portions of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Texas, and the highlands of Mexico. This pigeon is one of several species of birds in western North America that show unseasonal and variable nesting periods (see Ligon 1971). Active nests have been found in some portion of the species' range in every month of the year (Swarth 1900, Thayer 1909, Stephens 1913, Lamb 1926, Abbott 1927, Vorhies 1928, Neff 1947, MacGregor and Smith 1955).
Although several studies of the breeding biology of the Band-tailed Pigeon have been made on the Pacific coast population (Glover 1953, MacGregor and Smith 1955, Houston 1963, March and Sadleir 1970, Zeigler 1971) few studies have been done of the interior population (Fitzhugh 1970). The breeding cycle of the interior population is poorly understood, although many observations of individual nests have been reported (Neff 1947, Fitzhugh 1970). The purpose of this study was to document the gonadal cycles of free-living Band-tailed Pigeons in Colorado and New Mexico and to study the species' photoperiod responses. From this information we have attempted to explain the normal breeding cycle of the pigeon and to explain its occasional unseasonal breeding.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Reproductive biology of the band-tailed pigeon in Colorado and New Mexico |
| Series title | The Auk |
| DOI | 10.2307/4084780 |
| Volume | 92 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Year Published | 1975 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | American Ornithological Society |
| Contributing office(s) | Patuxent Wildlife Research Center |
| Description | 13 p. |
| First page | 665 |
| Last page | 677 |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |