Let me begin with how much I hate pigeons. Oh wait, let that be a story for some other day.
Let me try this again. I hate pigeons. But this particular pigeon that I see every morning and evening (sometimes even afternoons) in front of my house has to be the cutest. Unlike its bold and loud and having-sex-all-the-time grey coloured cousins, this cutie is pretty shy. You'll always see it in the midst of the trees trying to hide itself in the leaves that match its own colour. Oh yes, this one is a green coloured pigeon! With a little grey in between. Unlike the grey pigeons (rock pigeons as they are called), who can be seen everywhere (EVERYWHERE!!!), these ones prefer the shelter of trees, flying away at the barest movement.
The other day, when I mentioned that how some birds were more shy than the others, my research guy told me that it's because of the colour of the bird. The brighter the colour, the more chances of it being seen by its predator and thus, the bird is more concerned about its safety. This got me thinking about the grey pigeons. Are they so boisterous because of the buildings in our area (that are also grey coloured) which makes them think that they can camouflage themselves? I don't know.. I would really love it if they also flew away at the slightest movement of humans.
Anyway, coming back to the cuter of the two pigeons, this bird seems to be a bit smaller than the rock pigeon (not too much though and by its shape you'll be easily able to recognise it as a pigeon). Its head and belly are grey coloured, but the neck and the wings are a nice bright shade of green. Its tail is also grey. The name it gets is because of the colour of the body as well as its feet (or legs) which are a bright yellow. Hence, no surprise here, it's called Yellow Footed (Legged) Green Pigeon. Its beak is white and surely something to look at.
Image credits: orientalbirdimages.org
Apparently found very commonly in India, it can be a bit difficult to spot. But once you know how it looks you'll be able to see it much more often, mostly flying from one place to the other. It is the state bird of Maharashtra and called Hariyal in Marathi! Not so bad I think :D
Oh also, like rock pigeons, these also mate for life. And usually, you will spot a couple together. If you do spot a shy thing (or two shy things) peeping at you from behind some leaves, don't forget to look at their eyes. They are like two tiny red and blue beads. Absolutely delightful!
So go out and look at a happy green couple peeps. I promise you, they'll make your day!
I know the image isn't that great. I don't have a good camera. :/
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