# Band-tailed Pigeon

*Patagioenas fasciata*

The Band-tailed Pigeon is the closest living relative to the famously extinct Passenger Pigeon.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Columbiformes › Columbidae › Patagioenas
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** decreasing
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Coniferous and mixed forests, oak woodlands, and mountainous regions.
- **Diet:** Acorns, berries, elderberries, wild cherries, and various seeds.
- **Range:** Pacific Coast of North America, Southwestern United States, Mexico, Central America
- **Size:** Length: 33-40 cm; Wingspan: 66 cm
- **Lifespan:** 6 to 22 years
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Habitat loss due to logging, Avian Trichomonosis (a parasite), and historical overhunting.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless. These birds are shy and will likely fly away if approached. Observe from a distance with binoculars to avoid disturbing their feeding or nesting. Do not offer human food as it lacks necessary nutrients.

## About

The band-tailed pigeon ( Patagioenas fasciata ) is a medium-sized bird of the Americas. Its closest relatives are the Chilean pigeon and the ring-tailed pigeon, which form a clade of Patagioenas with a terminal tail band and iridescent plumage on their necks. There are at least 8 sub-species, and some authorities split this species into the northern band-tailed pigeon ( Patagioenas fasciata ) and the southern band-tailed pigeon ( Patagioenas albilinea ).

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/329ac33d-9481-46d6-9d69-bbadce5e0c6d
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/3108
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patagioenas fasciata
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/193254986/medium.jpeg (Esteban Poveda, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.