Bleeding Heart

Just another Bleeding Heart Luzon Pigeon. Luzon Bleeding Heart is a ground dove that is an endemic to the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Luzon... more

by Don Columbus

Title

Bleeding Heart

Artist

Don Columbus

Medium

Photograph - Digital Photography

Description

Just another Bleeding Heart Luzon Pigeon. Luzon Bleeding Heart is a ground dove that is an endemic to the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Luzon Bleeding Heart (Gallicolumba luzonica) is a ground dove that is an endemic to the island of Luzon in the Philippines. On its upper surfaces, the Luzon bleeding-heart is a slate gray, but because it is iridescent, it can appear to be purple, royal blue, or green, the color varies with lighting conditions. It gets its name from its most distinguishing feature the vibrant red patch on its chest that looks like it is wounded. The belly and under wing areas are buff or chestnut. As in most pigeons, there is little sexual dimorphism; males tend to be larger and have a more pronounced red patch, some authorities claim that the female has a purplish iris. Body shape is typical of the genus, with a round body, a short tail and long legs. In captivity these birds can live well into their twenties.
The IUCN has listed them on the Red List as NT (Near Threatened) as in their native land they are hunted for meat, these birds breed well in captivity and there several breeding programs in place at various zoos.

This photo was taken at Wings of Asia - Zoo Miami.

Uploaded

May 24th, 2016