Rameron Pigeon

Rameron Pigeon

Columba arquatrix

Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Johannesburg

In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%

1,095 Verified sightings at Johannesburg
2,065 In all 18 parks From 2019 to 2026
February Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Rameron Pigeon

The African olive pigeon or Rameron pigeon (Columba arquatrix) is a pigeon which is a resident breeding bird in much of eastern and southern Africa from Ethiopia to the Cape. Populations also are found in western Angola, southwestern Saudi Arabia and northern Yemen. It is locally common, although sizeable gaps in its distribution occur due to its habitat requirements. Despite this, the species is monotypic, with no substantive variation between birds in the different areas it occurs in.

The adult male African olive pigeon is a large pigeon at 37 to 42 cm (15 to 17 in) in length and a weight of 300 to 450 g (11 to 16 oz). Its back and wings are maroon, with the shoulders heavily speckled with white spots. The underparts are maroon with heavy white spotting, and the head is grey with yellow patches around the eye, and a yellow bill. The neck plumage, used in display, is streaked maroon and white, the underwing and undertail are dark grey, and the feet are yellow.

Females are very similar to males but somewhat duller. Juvenile birds have the maroon and grey replaced with dark brown, the bare parts are a dull greenish-yellow, and the wing feathers have pale fringes. In... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song0:17

South Africa · 2003

© Nature sounds by Simply Birding · XC646371 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Call0:38

South Africa · 2019

© Lynette Rudman · XC471447 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:27

Malawi · 2017

© Derek Solomon · XC430630 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Semuliki National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~40%
2 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
3 Aberdare National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
4 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
5 Volcanoes National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~10%
6 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
7 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
8 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
~10%
9 Arusha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
10 Nyungwe National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~10%
11 Bale Mountains National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
<5%
12 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
13 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
14 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
15 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
16 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
17 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
18 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Johannesburg 🇿🇦 South Africa
~30%
2 Pretoria 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
3 Cape Town 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Disney's Animal Kingdom 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
2 San Diego Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
3 Parc des oiseaux 🇫🇷 France In captivity
4 Night Safari 🇸🇬 Singapore In captivity
5 Singapore Zoo 🇸🇬 Singapore In captivity
6 Wilhelma 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
7 Bird Paradise 🇸🇬 Singapore In captivity
8 Rainforest Wild Asia 🇸🇬 Singapore In captivity
9 River Wonders 🇸🇬 Singapore In captivity
10 World of Birds Wildlife Sanctuary and Monkey Park 🇿🇦 South Africa In captivity
11 Castellar Zoo 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Rameron Pigeon in Johannesburg?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Rameron Pigeon sighting in Johannesburg on a given day, based on 1,095 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 27th most-seen of the 219 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Rameron Pigeon in Johannesburg?

February

In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Rameron Pigeon in Johannesburg on a given day, against about 30% in March to January, the lowest months. That is one of Johannesburg's wettest months, with about 80 mm of rain against almost none in July.

What time of day is best to see a Rameron Pigeon?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rameron Pigeon sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Johannesburg the best place to see a Rameron Pigeon?

Yes

Of the 3 cities where we can rate Rameron Pigeon sightings, Johannesburg has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Pretoria (South Africa, about 10%) and Cape Town (South Africa, under 5%).

Which relatives of the Rameron Pigeon live in Johannesburg?

Same genus: Columba

The closest relatives of the Rameron Pigeon that you can see in Johannesburg (genus Columba, Typical Old World Pigeons) are Rock Pigeon (about 50%) and Speckled Pigeon (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Rameron Pigeon sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Rameron Pigeon is recorded against all the birds logged in Johannesburg (1,095 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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