The pink pigeon (Nesoenas mayeri) is a unique species of pigeon endemic to the island of Mauritius. This beautiful bird nearly vanished in the 1970s and 1990s and remains very rare today. The pink pigeon is found on the island of Mauritius, formerly home to another pigeon, the Dodo, now extinct. It is the only Mascarene pigeon that has not become extinct.
The pink pigeon is a conservation success story. But the work to save the species is by no means over. That’s why we’ve embarked on a genetic rescue mission. The Mauritian Wildlife Foundation works incredibly hard to manage and conserve the small remaining population. They control predators, treat sick individuals and provide supplementary feed. But, despite all these measures, the population has been unable to grow further and they struggle to even maintain current levels in the wild.
The species has been conserved through the efforts of Gerald Durrell and the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust in the 1960s. Thanks to the amazing work of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust since 1977, their numbers have slowly grown.
In 1991, there were only 10 pink pigeons left in the wild! The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) changed its status from "Critically Endangered" to "Endangered" in 2000. By 2011, there were fewer than 500 birds. Thanks to these efforts, there were about 400 pink pigeons in the wild in 2018.
Since October 2021, the pink pigeon has been classified as "Critically Depleted" by the IUCN.
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A research project using conservation genomics has been launched to save the Pink Pigeon in Mauritius.
A Pink Pigeon
Taxonomy and Evolution
Initially classified as a true pigeon, the pink pigeon was reclassified in a monotypic genus by Tommaso Salvadori. Recent studies of its DNA (the genetic material that makes us who we are) suggest its closest relative is the Malagasy turtle dove. Recent DNA analyses suggest its nearest relative is the geographically close Malagasy turtle dove (Streptopelia picturatus), and it has thus been suggested that it be placed in the genus Streptopelia, which mostly contains turtle doves.
Some experts thought the pink pigeon should join the Streptopelia group, which includes most turtle doves. However, the pink pigeon and the Malagasy turtle dove form a special group. They don't quite fit perfectly into Streptopelia or Columba (another pigeon group). So, keeping them both in the Nesoenas group shows they have their own unique evolutionary path.
Physical Characteristics
An adult pink pigeon is about 36 to 38 centimeters (14 to 15 inches) long from its beak to its tail. An adult pigeon is about 32 cm from beak to tail and 350 gram in weight. It weighs around 350 grams (about 12 ounces). Pink pigeons have pale pinkish-grey plumage on their head, shoulders and underside, along with pink feet and beak. These pigeons have soft, pale pinkish-grey feathers on their head, shoulders, and belly. They have dark brown wings, and a broad, reddish-brown tail. The beak is a dark pink color with a white tip. They have dark brown wings, and a broad, rust-colored tail. Their eyes are dark brown, surrounded by a ring of red skin. The voice of the pink pigeon consists of a flight call that is a short, hardened "hoo hoo". The pink pigeon has a special voice. When it flies, it makes a short, strong "hoo hoo" sound.
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Habitat and Distribution
The pink pigeon lives only on the island of Mauritius. The pink pigeon prefers upland evergreen forests. It prefers upland evergreen forests. Mauritius is a small island east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. They also live on a tiny island nearby called Île aux Aigrettes. As of 2016, there are five places where wild pink pigeons live. Four of these spots are in the Black River Gorges National Park. The fifth is on Île aux Aigrettes. All are monitored by the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation.
This small island is special because it doesn't have many predators. The species prefers upland evergreen forests, but is equally at home in coastal forests as long as the vegetation is native and not dominated by introduced species such as Chinese Guava (Psidium cattleianum) or the privet (Ligustrum robustum).
Location of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean
Breeding and Life Cycle
The breeding season of the pink pigeon begins in August-September, although birds may breed all year round. The breeding season of the pink pigeon begins in August or September. The male courts the female with a "step and bow" display. The male pigeon tries to attract the female with a special "step and bow" dance. Mating is generally monogamous, with the pair making a flimsy platform nest and defending a small area around it (even though the pigeons initially had no natural predators, one mating pair must defend their territory from other mating pairs). Mating is monogamous, with the pair making a flimsy platform nest and defending a small area around it (even though the pigeons initially had no natural predators). Pink pigeons generally mate for life. The pair builds a simple nest that looks like a platform. They defend a small area around their nest from other pigeons.
The female usually lays two white eggs, and incubation duration is two weeks. The female usually lays two white eggs. The eggs hatch after two weeks. The male incubates during the day, and the female during night and early day. The male pigeon sits on the eggs during the day, and the female sits on them at night and early morning. They can breed often, laying five to 10 eggs in a season.
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There are more males than females in a population due to greater life expectancy of the male (about five years more). There are more males than females in a population due to greater life expectancy of the male (about five years more) and in the wild a higher chance of the female being predated. Also, in the wild, females have a higher chance of being hunted by predators. One reason for the difference in life span is that producing eggs is extremely metabolically taxing, and since female birds are nearly constantly producing eggs (even when they are not fertilized, just like domestic chickens do) this can end up totaling to a large metabolic tax on the female's survival. One reason for the shorter lifespan of females is that producing eggs takes a lot of energy from their bodies. Since female birds are almost always making eggs, even if they aren't fertilized, this can be very tiring for them.
In zoos, males can still have babies until they are 17 or 18 years old.
Development of Chicks:
- 1 - 7 days: Chicks have their eyes closed. They are fed only "crop milk" by their parents.
- 2 - 4 weeks: Chicks grow feathers and are ready to fly a little.
- 4 - 6/7 weeks: Chicks stay in the nest.
Diet
The pink pigeon is herbivorous, feeding on both exotic and native plants - consuming buds, flowers, leaves, shoots, fruits and seeds. The pink pigeon is a herbivore, meaning it eats plants. They eat buds, flowers, leaves, shoots, fruits, and seeds from both native and non-native plants. It feeds on native plants - by consuming buds, flowers, leaves, shoots, fruits and seeds. These birds often look for food on the ground. They move and turn over fallen leaves to find food and small stones.
Because the pink pigeon's natural habitat has become degraded, natural food sources have in the past been deemed insufficient to sustain the wild population or allow successful breeding and chick-rearing. Because the pink pigeon's natural home has been damaged, there isn't always enough natural food for them. This can make it hard for them to breed and raise their chicks. The MWF and other organizations are providing supplemental feeding stations that offer diet items like whole wheat. So, the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation (MWF) and other groups provide extra food for them. They offer things like whole wheat at special feeding stations.
Threats and Conservation
The pink pigeon almost disappeared because its home was destroyed and new predators were brought to the island. The biggest dangers to pink pigeons are losing their natural home, predators that were brought to the island, and diseases. The Mauritian Wildlife Foundation has done a lot of this work. The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust started a program to breed pink pigeons in captivity and then release them back into the wild.
The feeding stations that provide extra food can sometimes cause problems. If many birds gather there, diseases can spread more easily between them. For example, a disease called trichomonosis was brought to Mauritius by other pigeons.
Another worry for the pink pigeon, like many endangered animals with small populations, is inbreeding depression. It’s almost certain that pink pigeon numbers have been decreasing since the arrival of humans in the 1600s.
The pink pigeon is currently classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN, having been downlisted from Endangered in 2018 and Critically Endangered in 2000. Due to habitat destruction, and non-native predators, the population had dropped to 10 in 1991.
Habitat degradation, introduced predators, and wildlife disease are the major ongoing threats to the pink pigeon's survival. Common predators include the crab-eating macaque (Macaca fascicularis), the small Asian mongoose (Urva auropunctata), rats, and feral cats. Humans unknowingly introduced four non-native predators - rats, cats, mongoose and crab-eating macaques - to the island. All prey on pink pigeons.
Humans also decimated the pink pigeons’ habitat, clearing lush forests to make room for tea and sugar cane plantations. Invasive plant species, such as the Chinese guava and privet, dominate native forest plants, preventing their growth. Only about 2% of Mauritius's original native forest is left. Non-native species like Guava pose a threat to it by preventing growth of native trees. Without these native plant species, the pink pigeon finds it hard to locate sound nesting locations or food sources.
By introducing species of non-native birds to the island settlers also, inadvertently, introduced a pathogen - disease causing micoorganism - that proved near fatal to the pink pigeon. Trichomonas gallinae is a protozoan parasite and kills over 50% of all pink pigeon squabs (young). Finally, because of population decline pink pigeons have low genetic diversity and suffer from inbreeding depression.
A conservation programme, started by the Durrell Wildlife Trust and Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, captured the remaining birds and started a captive breeding programme on Mauritius. The birds were intensively managed and reintroduced back into the wild in the 1980s where they continued be closely monitored.
In the early 1990s disaster struck again - caused mainly by feral cat predation - and the population crashed to about nine birds. Volunteers and researchers from the Trust and Foundation, led by Professor Carl Jones, used innovative captive breeding strategies such as removing eggs or newborn chicks from pink pigeons and giving them to Barbary doves to foster, so that the pink pigeon parents could breed again.
The captive breeding and reintroduction program initiated and supported by the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, and largely carried out by the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation has resulted in a stable population of about 350 in the wild in 2001, as well as a healthy captive population as backup.
Many groups and organizations have helped save the pink pigeon. Besides breeding programs and providing extra food, scientists are also studying the pigeons' genes. Research suggests that captive population of pink pigeons found in zoos and wildlife parks around the world - which was established as early as 1977 and unlike the in situ captive breeding programme has remained isolated - harbour genetic variation that the wild population lacks.
It’s our hope that by reintroducing individuals with new gene variants back into the wild we can reverse the negative effects of inbreeding and introduce alleles - different forms of a gene - that will increase disease resistance and overall genetic diversity.
The Florida Panther, Swedish Adder population and South Island robin population are just some of the examples of populations of species which have been saved using genetic rescue.
But what’s interesting is that there are very few examples of genetic rescue being used. In fact there are many more scientific papers discussing genetic rescue than examples of it actually being applied. There are less than 30 examples of genetic rescue, encompassing vertebrates, plants and invertebrates.
This may be because scientists have been cautious in this field to avoid any possible negative effects. For example, a decrease in the fitness of a population through the introduction of detrimental genetic variants. A recent study by Professor Richard Frankham, an expert in the field of conservation genetics, showed that in over 94% of cases of genetic rescue, the results have been incredibly beneficial. He argues that the reluctance to use the technique can’t be justified scientifically.
The pink pigeon is an ideal candidate because we already have a lot of information about the species. This includes genome sequences from museum specimens - birds that were alive in the 1800’s before the population crash. This will allow us to thoroughly screen any candidates and ensure the gene variants we are reintroducing back into the wild population were there previously and are not, for example, variants that have helped a pink pigeon adapt to a life in captivity.
Until humans arrived in the 1600s Mauritius was quite literally a paradise island - no predators, no people and lush forests. Humans hunted the Dodo for its meat. Luckily for the pink pigeon its flesh is often toxic and can induce stomach cramps and vomiting and so the settlers quickly learnt to leave them alone. But some of their other actions had a drastic impact on the bird.
The following table summarizes the conservation status of the Pink Pigeon over the years:
| Year | IUCN Status |
|---|---|
| 2000 | Critically Endangered |
| 2018 | Endangered |
| Present | Vulnerable |
Save The Pink Pigeon
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