? Nilgiri Woodpigeon Conservation status: Vulnerable
Nilgiri Woodpigeon Columba elphinsonii
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Columbiformes Family: Columbidae Genus: Columba Species: C. elphinstonii
Binomial name
Columba elphinstonii (Sykes, 1832)

The Nilgiri Woodpigeon (Columba elphinstonii) is a bird endemic to moist deciduous forests and sholas of south India. They are identified by their classical checkerboard pattern on their napes. They are a globally threatened species. Image File history File links Columba_elphinstonii. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Phyla Porifera (sponges) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria (coral, jellyfish, anenomes) Placozoa (trichoplax) Subregnum Bilateria (bilateral symmetry) Acoelomorpha (basal) Orthonectida (flatworms, echinoderms, etc. ... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicatas Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Orders Many - see section below. ... Families Raphidae Columbidae The order Columbiformes includes three families of birds: the Raphidae, to which the extinct Dodo and Rodrigues Solitaires belonged, the Columbidae, which includes the very widespread and successful doves and pigeons, and the Pteroclidae, to which the sand grouse belong. ... Pigeon redirects here. ... Genus Columba The large bird genus Columba comprises a group of medium to large stout-bodied pigeons, often referred to as the typical pigeons. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Colonel William Henry Sykes (January 25, 1790 - June 16, 1872) was an Indian Army officer, politician and ornithologist. ... Deciduous means temporary or tending to fall off (deriving from the Latin word decidere, to fall off). ... Shola is a type of high-altitude stunted evergreen forest found in southern India. ...

This pigeon qualifies as Vulnerable owing to its small, declining population, as a result of widespread destruction of its forest habitat. [1] A few relict populations may still survive on the high altitude hills of the peninsula outside the Western Ghats formation (Eg. Nandi Hills near Bangalore). Peninsula A peninsula (Latin, literally meaning almost island) is a geographical formation consisting of an extension of land from a larger body, surrounded by water on three sides. ... Enlarge this map of South India to see details about Western Ghats Nelliampathi mountains, Kerala A view from Ponmudi The Western Ghats or Sahyadri mountains (as they are known in the state of Maharashtra) run along the western edge of Indias Deccan Plateau, and separate the plateau from a... View of Nandi hills from Nandi town at the base. ... Bangalore (Kannada: ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು) (pronounced // in Kannada and // in English) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. ...

The binomial commemorates the Hon. Mountstuart Elphinstone (1779-1859). Mountstuart Elphinstone (1779 - November 20, 1859) was a Scottish statesman and historian, associated with the British government of India. ...

References

1. Red Data Book Asia

Only seen in sahyadri mountain range in western ghats of India.They search for food in groups.One of the exotic species of silent valley national park in India.

External link

• Photograph of the bird