Mountain Imperial Pigeon

The mountain imperial pigeon is the largest pigeon in its range at 43–51cm long. It has a fairly long tail, broad rounded wings and slow wing-beats. The head, neck and underparts are vinous-grey with a contrasting white throat and brownish-maroon upperparts and wings. It has a wide range in south-eastern Asia, including China (Wikipedia, general species account).

It breeds from March to August in the northern part of its range and from January to May further south. The call is a deep, resonant boom detectable only at close range. It is usually solitary but has been seen in groups of up to 20, especially going to roost. In display the bird flies vertically 6–8m from a perch and glides back down with wings and tail spread (Wikipedia, general species account).