Red-headed wood pigeon
Amazing fact
The red-headed wood pigeon builds nests of twigs in tree hollows or gaps between rocks.
多摩動物公園
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
The red-headed wood pigeon builds nests of twigs in tree hollows or gaps between rocks.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Red-headed wood pigeon
- Scientific name
- Columba janthina nitens
- Japanese name
- アカガシラカラスバト
- Group
- Birds
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Columbiformes
- Family
- Columbidae
- Genus
- Columba
The red-headed wood pigeon is a subspecies of the Japanese wood pigeon.
This bird is endemic to the Ogasawara Islands, where it lives in dense forests on warm islands.
Because of their structure, its black feathers shine reddish purple, green and purple. Its head is redder than that of the Japanese wood pigeon.
It spends most of its time in trees, but sometimes comes down to the ground to feed. It eats seeds, buds and fruits.
How the Red-headed wood pigeon lives
In the wild, it breeds from late winter to early autumn.
多摩動物公園Basic data
- Size
- Total length: 37–43.5 cm
- Weight
- about 450 g
- Diet
- Plant seeds, buds, and fruit
- Range
- Japan (Ogasawara Islands)
- Conservation status in Japan
- Critically Endangered (CR)Ministry of the Environment of Japan, 5th Red List (2026)
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- アカガシラカラスバト
- 한국어
- 오가사와라흑비둘기
- Español
- Paloma japonesa pelirroja
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 多摩動物公園 — カラスバト（アカガシラカラスバト）Checked: 2026-11-03
- Ministry of the Environment of Japan, 5th Red List (2026)Checked: 2026-11-07
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
The conservation status in Japan is the category in the Red Lists of the Ministry of the Environment of Japan, which assess the risk of extinction for wild animals in Japan.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeEXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Red-headed wood pigeon
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
RELATIVES
Others in Columbidae
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