Columba elphinstonii
Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10%
The Nilgiri wood pigeon (Columba elphinstonii) is a large pigeon found in the moist deciduous forests and sholas of the Western Ghats in southwestern India. They are mainly frugivorous and forage in the canopy of dense hill forests. They are best identified in the field by their large size, dark colours and the distinctive checkerboard pattern on their nape.
This pigeon appears dark grey and a black and white patterned patch made of white tipped stiff feathers on the back of the neck is distinctive. The mantle is chestnut. The male has a paler grey crown while the female has a darker grey crown with a pale throat. The most confusable other species is the mountain imperial pigeon but that species has paler underwing coverts. The feet and the base of the bill are red.
The species is evolutionarily close to the Ceylon woodpigeon Columba torringtoni and the ashy wood pigeon Columba pulchricollis which form a clade that is basal within the Old World genus Columba. The binomial commemorates Mountstuart Elphinstone (1779–1859).
The species is mainly found along the Western Ghats and in the Nilgiri Hills. Although found mainly in the hills, it is sometimes... Wikipedia →
Song0:16
India · 2017
© Peter Boesman · XC369094 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eravikulam National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Mudumalai National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Periyar National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Bandipur National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Nagarhole National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bengaluru | 🇮🇳 India |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Nilgiri Wood Pigeon sighting in Mudumalai National Park on a given day, based on 20 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 190th most-seen of the 233 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Nilgiri Wood Pigeon in Mudumalai National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to July, the lowest months. That is one of Mudumalai National Park's wettest months, with about 210 mm of rain against 10 mm in February.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Nilgiri Wood 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.
2nd of 5
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Nilgiri Wood Pigeon sightings, Mudumalai National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Eravikulam National Park (India, about 10%).
Same family: Columbidae
The closest relatives of the Nilgiri Wood Pigeon that you can see in Mudumalai National Park (family Columbidae, Pigeons and Doves) are Pearl-necked Dove (about 80%), Yellow-footed Green Pigeon (about 20%) and Laughing Dove (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Nilgiri Wood Pigeon is recorded against all the birds logged in Mudumalai National Park (20 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
