ÿþ<html lang="en"> <head> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <meta http-equiv="Content-Language" content="en"> <meta name="Description" content="Endemic and extinct birds of Mauritius"> <meta name="KeyWords" content="Alectroenas nitidissima,Mauritius Blue Pigeon,Hackled Pigeon, Pigeon hollandais,Colombe hérissée,Pizon olande"> <meta name="Resource-type" content="Document"> <meta name="Distribution" content="Global"> <meta name="Copyright" content="birdsmauritius.mu"> <title>Mauritius Blue Pigeon - Alectroenas nitidissima</title> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/en.css"> <link rel="Bookmark Icon" HREF="/favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon"> <link rel="shortcut icon" href="/favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon"> <script language=javascript src="/en.js"></script> </head> <body bgcolor="FFFFF0" text="#000000" leftmargin="0" topmargin="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0"> <center> <table border="0"> <tr> <td height="1" width="125"><img height=1 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&Icirc;le aux Aigrettes"> </tr> <tr> <td width="644" valign="top" align="left"><i><font size="-1">Reproduction in the reception room of the &Icirc;le aux Aigrettes Nature Reserve (Photo &copy; Peter Werner 2004)</font></i> </tr> <tr> <!-- Left menu column --> <td width="644" valign="top" align="left"> <img src="Images/BluePigeonDrawing.jpg" width="431" height="294" title="Old Print of Mauritius Blue Pigeon Alectroenas nitidissima" alt="Old Print of Mauritius Blue Pigeon - Alectroenas nitidissima"> <font size="-1"><i>&nbsp;Old print of Mauritius Blue Pigeon </i></font> <table width="100%" border="0"> <tr valign="top"> <td width="350" > <table cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=350 border=0> <tbody> <tr> <td width=7><img height=1 alt=/Images/pixel.gif" width=7 border=0></td> <td width=3><img height=1 alt=. src="/Images/pixel.gif" width=3 border=0></td> <td width=330><img height=1 alt=. src="/Images/pixel.gif" width=330 border=0></td> <td width=3><img height=1 alt=. src="/Images/pixel.gif" width=3 border=0></td> <td width=7><img height=1 alt=. src="/Images/pixel.gif" width=7 border=0></td> </tr> <tr valign="middle" bgcolor="#336699"> <td >&nbsp;</td> <td colspan=4> <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="white" size="4"><b>Data Sheet</b></font></td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td colspan=5> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%"> <tbody class="ArialBlack"> <tr bgcolor="CC0033"> <td colspan="2" valign="middle" align="left" class="Trafiletto" height="20"> Description </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="40%" height="16"> <p>Scientific Name</p> </td> <td width="60%" height="16"> <p> Alectroenas nitidissima</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="40%" height="17"> <p>English Name</p> </td> <td width="60%" height="17"> <p>Mauritius Blue Pigeon,Hackled Pigeon</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="40%"> <p>Local English Name</p> </td> <td width="60%" height="19"> <p>Dutch Pigeon</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="40%"> <p>French Name</p> </td> <td width="60%"> <p>Colombe hérissée</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="40%"> <p>Local French Name</p> </td> <td width="60%" height="22"> <p>Pigeon hollandais</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="40%"> <p>Creole Name</p> </td> <td width="60%"><p>Pizon&nbsp;olande</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="40%" height="16"> <p>Habitat</p> </td> <td width="60%" height="16"> <p> Terrestrial</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="40%"> <p>Geographic Range</p> </td> <td width="60%"> <p>Mauritius</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="40%"> <p>Status</p> </td> <td width="60%" height="22"> <p>Extinct 1826 </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="40%"> <p>First Description</p> </td> <td width="60%"> <p>Scopoli, 1786</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <table width="100%" border="0"> <tbody class="ArialBlack"> <tr bgcolor="CC0033"> <td colspan="2" valign="middle" align="left" class="Trafiletto" height="20"> <a name=contents>Classification</a> </td> </tr> <tr valignment="top"> <td width="62"> <p> Kingdom<br> Phylum<br> Sub phylum<br> Class<br> Sub class<br> Super order<br> Order<br> Family<br> Sub-Family <br> Genus<br> Species</p> </td> <td width="163" valign="top"> <p> <a href="http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/animalia.html" target="_blank">Animalia</a><br> <a href="http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/chordata.html" target="_blank">Chordata</a><br> <a href="http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/vertebrata.html" target="_blank">Vertebrata</a> <br> <a href="http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/chordata/aves.html" target="_blank">Aves</a><br> <br> <br> <a href="http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/chordata/aves/columbiformes.html" target="_blank">Columbiformes</a><br> <a href="http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/chordata/aves/columbiformes/raphidae.html" target="_blank">Columbidae</a><br> <br> <br> Alectroenas nitidissima</p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign=top colspan=2 rowspan="4"></td> <td width="330" valign="top">&nbsp;</td> <td valign=top colspan=2 rowspan="4"></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="330" valign="top"> <p>The Mauritius Blue Pigeon, A. nitidissima, ('very bright') survived well into the 19th century (1), its extinction probably caused by a combination of hunting, habitat destruction and predation. </p> <p>Mauritius Blue Pigeon Alectroenas nitidissima is known only from three skins and a number of descriptions and paintings, from Mauritius. It was first described by Harmansz in 1602, and persisted for more than two centuries thereafter. Milbert, writing in 1812, noted that he ate many in 1801, and Desjardins reported in 1832 that birds were  still found towards the centre of the island in the middle of those fine forests which by their remoteness, have escaped the devastating axe . The last specimen was collected in 1826, however, and hunting and habitat loss presumably caused the species' extinction in the 1830s. </p> <p align="right"><a href="#Top"><img src="/Images/red-arrowrup.gif" width="8" height="8" border="0">&nbsp;Top</a></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="330" valign="top"> <p><img src="Images/SeichellesBluePigeon.jpg" width="198" height="229" title="Alectroenas pulcherrima - Seichelles Blue Pigeon" alt="Alectroenas pulcherrima - Seichelles Blue Pigeon"><br> <br> <font size="-1"><i>Alectroenas pulcherrima - Seichelles Blue Pigeon<br> (R. Lucking)</i></font> <br> </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="330" valign="top"> <p>Three species survive today: Seychelles Blue Pigeon, A. pulcherrima, ('very beautiful') on most of the granitic Seychelles, Comoro Blue Pigeon, A. sganzini, on the Comoros (nominate race) and Aldabra (A. s. minor), and Madagascar Blue Pigeon, A. madagascariensis, on Madagascar. At least two species are extinct.<br> </p> <table width="100%" border="0"> <tr> <td><img src="/Nature/Fauna/Birds/Extinct/Images/Alectroenas_madagascariensis.jpg" width="192" height="119" title="Alectroenas madagascariensis - Madagascar Blue Pigeon" alt="Alectroenas madagascariensis - Madagascar Blue Pigeon"></td> </tr> <tr> <td><font size="-1"><i>Alectroenas madagascariensis - Madagascar Blue Pigeon - Photo &copy; <a href="http://www.justbirds.it/" target="_blank">G. Gerra &amp; S.Sommazzi</a></i></font></td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign=top colspan=2></td> <td width="330" valign="top"> <table border="0" width="100%"> <tr> <td> <div align="right"><a href="#" onClick="history.go(-1)"><img src="/Images/red-arrowleft.gif" width="6" height="6" border="0">&nbsp;Back</a></div> </td> <td> <div align="right"><a href="#Top"><img src="/Images/red-arrowrup.gif" width="8" height="8" border="0">&nbsp;Top</a></div> </td> </tr> </table> </td> <td valign=top colspan=2></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> <td width="284" > <table cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=269 border=0> <tbody class="ArialBlack"> <tr bgcolor=#CC0033> <td width=5 height="1"><img height=1 alt=. src="/Images/pixel.gif" width=5 border=0></td> <td width=176 height="1"><img height=1 alt=. src="/Images/pixel.gif" width=116 border=0></td> <td width=88 height="1"><img height=1 alt=. src="/Images/pixel.gif" width=1 border=0></td> </tr> <tr bgcolor=#CC0033> <td width=5 height="20"><img height=1 alt=. src="/Images/pixel.gif" width=5 border=0></td> <td colspan="3" valign="middle" align="left" class="Trafiletto" height="20">Extinct Birds</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan=3 height=5></td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width=5 height="63" ></td> <td width=176> <p><a href="/Nature/Fauna/Birds/Extinct/index.html">Index</a><br> <a href="/Nature/Fauna/Birds/Extinct/Dodo.htm">Dodo</a><br> <a href="/Nature/Fauna/Birds/Extinct/BluePigeon.htm">Blue Pigeon</a> <br> <a href="/Nature/Fauna/Birds/Extinct/BroadBilledParrot.htm">Broad-billed Parrot</a> <br> <a href="/Nature/Fauna/Birds/Extinct/GreyParrot.htm">Grey&nbsp;Parrot</a><br> <a href="/Nature/Fauna/Birds/Extinct/MascareneCoot.htm">Mascarene&nbsp;Coot</a><br> <a href="/Nature/Fauna/Birds/Extinct/MauritianDuck.htm">Mauritian&nbsp;Duck</a><br> <a href="/Nature/Fauna/Birds/Extinct/MauritiusOwl.htm">Mauritius&nbsp;Owl</a><br> <a href="/Nature/Fauna/Birds/Extinct/MascareneSwan.htm">Mascarene&nbsp;Swan</a><br> <a href="/Nature/Fauna/Birds/Extinct/NightHeron.htm">Mauritius Night&nbsp;Heron</a><br> <a href="/Nature/Fauna/Birds/Extinct/RedHen.htm">Red&nbsp;Rail</a> <br> <a href="/Nature/Fauna/Birds/Extinct/BourbonCrestedStarling.htm">Bourbon Crested Starling</a><br> </p> <p> <a href="/Nature/Fauna/Birds/Extinct/Solitaire.htm">Rodrigues&nbsp;Solitaire</a><br> <a href="/Nature/Fauna/Birds/Extinct/RodriguesNightHeron.htm">Rodrigues Night Heron</a><br> <a href="/Nature/Fauna/Birds/Extinct/RodriguesLittleOwl.htm">Rodrigues Little Owl</a><br> <a href="/Nature/Fauna/Birds/Extinct/RodriguesOwl.htm">Rodrigues&nbsp;Owl</a><br> <a href="/Nature/Fauna/Birds/Extinct/NewtonsParakeet.htm">Newton's Parakeet</a><br> <a href="/Nature/Fauna/Birds/Extinct/RodriguesParrot.htm">Rodrigues&nbsp;Parrot </a><br> <a href="/Nature/Fauna/Birds/Extinct/RodriguesPigeon.htm">Rodrigues&nbsp;Pigeon</a><br> <a href="/Nature/Fauna/Birds/Extinct/RodriguesRail.htm">Rodrigues&nbsp;Rail</a><br> <a href="/Nature/Fauna/Birds/Extinct/RodriguesStarling.htm">Rodrigues&nbsp;Starling</a></p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <br> <table cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=100% border=0> <tbody class="ArialBlack"> <tr bgcolor="CC0033"> <td width=8 height="1"><img height=1 alt=. src="/Images/pixel.gif" width=5 border=0></td> <td width=232 height="1"><img height=1 alt=. src="/Images/pixel.gif" width=116 border=0></td> <td width=6 height="1"><img height=1 alt=. src="/Images/pixel.gif" width=1 border=0></td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="CC0033"> <td width=8 height="20"><img height=8 alt=. src="/Images/pixel.gif" width=8 border=0></td> <td colspan="3" valign="middle" align="left" class="Trafiletto" height="20">References</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan=3 height=5></td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width=8 ></td> <td width=232 > <p>(1) Cheke, A.S. <br> An ecological history of the Mascarene Islands. <br> In Studies of Mascarene island birds. <br> Diamond, A.W. (ed) <br> Cambridge, UK, 1987, Cambridge University Press. <br> <br> (2) Stafford, Roger<br> Photospot: blue pigeons<br> in Bulletin of the African Bird Club volume 5.2, <br> September 1998 <p>Goodwin, Derek. 1983. Pigeons and Doves of the World: Third Edition Trustees of The British Museum ( Natural History ). Cornell University Press. Ithaca, New York. 363 pages. ( ISBN: 0-8014-1434-2 ) </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <br> <table cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=100% border=0> <tbody class="ArialBlack"> <tr bgcolor="CC0033"> <td width=5 height="1"><img height=1 alt=. src="/Images/pixel.gif" width=5 border=0></td> <td height="1"><img height=1 alt=. src="/Images/pixel.gif" border=0></td> <td width=5 height="1"><img height=1 alt=. src="/Images/pixel.gif" width=5 border=0></td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="CC0033"> <td width=5 height="20"><img height=8 alt=. src="/Images/pixel.gif" width=5 border=0></td> <td colspan="2" valign="middle" align="left" class="Trafiletto" height="20">Links</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan=3 height=5></td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td></td> <td > <p><a href="http://www.redlist.org/search/details.php?species=834" target="_blank">IUCN Red List</a><br> <a href="http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/search/species_search.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&amp;sid=2708&amp;m=0" target="_blank">Birdlife International</a><br> <a href="http://ncb.intnet.mu/mac/exhi.htm" target="_blank">The Mauritius Institute</a><br> <a href="http://www.africanbirdclub.org/feature/bluepig.html" target="_blank">Photospot Blue Pigeon</a><br> <a href="http://www.palli.ch/~kapeskreyol/dodo/c31a.php" target="_blank">Le musée du Dodo</a></p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <br> <table cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=100% border=0> <tr> <td valign="middle" align="left" class="Trafiletto" height="20"><img src="/Nature/Fauna/Birds/Extinct/Images/DutchPigeon1.jpg" width="234" height="417" title="Stuffed Mauritius Blue Pigeon - Alectroenas nitidissima" alt="Stuffed Mauritius Blue Pigeon - Alectroenas nitidissima"></td> </tr> <tr valign="middle"> <td height="41"> <p><font size="-1"><i>Stuffed speciment of the Mauritius Institue,. two others being in Paris and Edinburg museums.</i></font> </td> </tr> </table> <p>&nbsp; </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </td> </tr> <tr align="center" valign="bottom"> <td colspan="2"> <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="1">Copyright ©2002-2005 Encyclopaedia Mauritiana</font> <br> <div class="LinkGrey"> <a href="http://www.mauritiusencyclopedia.com" target="_blank">Encyclopedia</a> <a href="http://www.kreol.mu" target="_blank">Creole</a> <a href="http://www.sega.mu" target="_blank">Sega</a> <a href="http://www.birds.mu" target="_blank">Birds</a> <a href="http://www.oldmaps.mu" target="_blank">Maps</a> <a href="http://www.orchids.mu" target="_blank">Orchids</a> <a href="http://www.leicaphoto.net" target="_blank">Leica</a> <a href="http://www.alpareflex.com" target="_blank">Alpa</a> <a href="http://www.kilfitt.org" target="_blank">Kilfitt</a> <a href="http://www.cadelec.com" target="_blank">Cadelec</a><br> <a href="http://www.werner.mu" target="_blank"> </a> <a href="http://www.ngyantun.com" target="_blank"> </a> </div> </td> </tr> </table> </tr> </table> </center> </body> </html>