Willem is a wildlife artist based in South Africa. He says "My aim is simply to express the beauty and wonder that is in Nature, and to heighten people's appreciation of plants, animals and the wilderness. Not everything I paint is African! Though I've never been there, I'm also fascinated by Asia and I've done paintings of Asian rhinos and birds as well. I may in future do some of European, Australian and American species too. I'm fascinated by wild things from all over the world! I mainly paint in watercolours. . . but actually many media including 'digital' paintings with the computer!"

This is the largest and also one of the most beautiful of South Africa's pigeons, the Rameron Pigeon, Columba arquatrix. Let's deal quickly with its names: 'Rameron' probably comes from the French 'ramereau', a young wood-pigeon. The Latin name comes from 'columba', a pigeon, and 'arquatus', a person with jaundice. This refers to the bright yellow bill, face and feet, the most striking visible features of this pigeon. Another common name for this pigeon is the 'olive pigeon'. In its case 'olive' doesn't refer to colour, since it's mainly purple, but instead to its diet! It is quite fond of wild olives and fruit of the related Black Ironwood.

Purple Pigeons of the High Forests

Rameron pigeons inhabit forests, and mostly forests in mountainous regions. In my own area I associate them with the cool, misty forests of the Haenertzburg and Magoebaskloof region. They roost in the dense forests of the high slopes, and then fly out over the lower regions in the early morning to seek food, often venturing into neighbouring fruit plantations. Rameron pigeons occur in mountain forests from South Africa to Angola and into Eastern Africa as far as Ethiopia. In the Ruwenzori Mountains of Central Africa they plummet down every day from the high forests at an altitude of about 2800 meters down to the lower forests at about 1800 meters, where they feed. They are absent from the hotter lowland equatorial forests. They are related to four other big, purplish, forest pigeon species: the Cameroon Olive Pigeon, São Tomé Olive Pigeon, the Comoro Olive Pigeon, and the Speckled Wood Pigeon of Asia. They're a bit more distantly related to the many other pigeon species in the genus Columba, of which the Eurasian Wood Pigeon and the domestic pigeon are also members.

In South Africa, the climate is cooler than in more tropical African countries, and so the Rameron Pigeon occurs here at lower altitudes – indeed, in the cooler south eastern forests they occur right down to sea level. They are permanent residents in lush, high forests, but can also be found in more open habitats like dune bush, riverine woodland, plantations, parks and gardens.

I love seeing these pigeons in the wild. They are large, reaching 43 cm/17" in length. They usually are found in groups so if you see one you're likely to see a few. In the dim and misty forests, they appear very dark, aside from the very bright and bold yellow of their faces and feet. In good light they show their plumage to be dark purple and bluish grey, with a fine speckling of white. They don't walk on the ground as much as other pigeons and doves, but if they do they step with a deliberate gait and the tail lifted high off the ground. Like all pigeons and doves, they have a gentle and peaceful appearance. Though not so difficult to see in the wild, they are also very frequent residents in aviaries here in South Africa where they can be seen close-up.

Fruity Food

In contrast to most other pigeons and doves who feed on hard, dry seeds and nuts, rameron pigeons feed on the fruit of forest trees. These fruit are mostly not very appetizing to humans, though! They include species like the wild olives they're named for – which are much smaller than the cultivated olives – and members of the laurel family, wild figs, yellowwoods, forest grapes, and many others. They eat the seeds of a few introduced tree species, and also pecan nuts. One thing that is a problem is that they also love the fruit of several introduced tree and shrub species, like privets and the bugweed. After eating the fruit they defecate the seeds, and so they are causing these alien species to spread into our native forests where they displace indigenous species and because the pigeons spread them so widely, they're hard to eradicate. Rameron pigeons are also considered pests in fruit plantations and orchards. But they also occasionally feed on insect larvae, such as caterpillars that can be destructive of trees, so they help control these.

It can be funny to watch these huge pigeons feeding! They often perch on thin twigs to reach the fruit at the tips. The twigs bend under their weight and then they sway and flap their wings to try and keep their balance. Sometimes they dangle upside down! They pluck the fruit with their bills and swallow them whole. They will frequently drop fruit to the ground, uneaten. They are rarely seen drinking, and probably obtain most of the moisture they need from their food.

Sounds and Silence

This large pigeon is surprisingly silent. While the smaller turtle doves are so vocal as to be considered the definitive 'sound of the savannah', these pigeons are hardly ever heard at all! You need to be close to hear its main call, which is a very low sort of growling coo. It also sometimes utters a bleating sound when excited or startled. Apart from that it also makes a clattering noise with its wings when it flies off its perch. When an entire flock 'explodes' into flight, they make enough wing-clapping noise to be heard a kilometer away!

Marriage and Children

Courtship has not been frequently observed for this pigeon, but there seems to be two displays. The first is the male bowing and cooing to the female, the other is the male giving a display flight. He will launch into the air with a loud clatter of wings. He will fly up about a hundred meters, and then swoop down while uttering the nasal, bleating call. The display flight and call are mostly given on cool, misty afternoons.

Like other pigeons and doves, ramerons are monogamous. The male collects sticks with which the female builds the nest. In this, the female most of the time lays just a single egg. Both parents incubate the egg, which hatches after about 20 days. The young pigeon is fed for another 20 days and then fledges.

Threats

This species used to be hunted in South Africa, but now is protected by law. The hunting was very intensive at a time, and their numbers do seem to have plummeted. They are still fairly rare despite having had a long time to recover. Still, the species is not considered to be threatened. Apart from humans, they also face threats from eagles, falcons, sparrowhawks and goshawks. This species is also still relatively secure over the rest of its African range.

Colours of Wildlife Archive

Willem

10.03.14 Front Page

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