The Nicobar pigeon is the only living member of the genus Caloenas in the pigeon family (Columbidae). It is often described as the closest living relative of the dodo, and it is also thought to be related to the extinct Rodrigues solitaire (opens in new tab).
Origins of the Nicobar Pigeon
Although also known as the vulturine pigeon, hackled pigeon, or white-tailed pigeon, the Nicobar pigeon, as the name suggests, originated in the Islands of Nicobar (opens in new tab).
These islands are a union territory of India along with the Andaman Islands (home of the rare Andaman wood pigeon) and lie in the Bay of Bengal, in the eastern Indian Ocean.
Great Nicobar, part of UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves (opens in new tab), lies about 1,300 km southeast of the Indian subcontinent and roughly 150 km north of the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
The genus also included two extinct species, the Kanaka pigeon and the Spotted Green Pigeon (opens in new tab) (described in 1783), and DNA studies suggest that the group is closely related to the Raphinae (the subfamily that includes the dodo), but only the Nicobar survives today.
Distribution And Habitat
The Nicobar pigeon is found not only in the Nicobar and Andaman Islands but also on islands and coasts of Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands (once the home of the now extinct Choiseul Pigeon).
Sadly, numbers are thought to be declining.
There is also a separate subspecies (the only one) in Palau in the Western Pacific.
The only places where you are likely to see a Nicobar pigeon in the United States and the United Kingdom (and other countries outside the area of natural distribution) are in zoos and conservation facilities.
The location of these birds is so specific, in fact, that in 2017 headlines were made when a Nicobar pigeon was found in Australia (opens in new tab) and immediately quarantined by the Australian Department of Agriculture as part of their biosecurity measures.
Nicobar pigeons are able to inhabit a range of different settings from dry forests to rain forests to shrubland and mangroves.
As long as the general climate zone is tropical, Nicobar pigeons will be able to flourish.
They are also happy to move around from island to island and between islands and the mainland but they prefer the smaller, densely wooded and least-disturbed islands.
Status of the Nicobar Pigeon
As is the case with far too many unique and special species these days, the Nicobar pigeon is not as abundant in the wild.
On the official scale of status protection, the bird is categorised as being ‘Near Threatened’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
This is one step above ‘Least Concern’, but its nesting islands are being cleared and disturbed, and on Palau alone only about 1,000 adult birds are estimated to remain, which puts things into perspective.
Nicobar pigeons are also kept in many zoos and bird conservation centres in Europe, the USA and elsewhere, which will, of course, help to prevent the species from becoming extinct entirely thanks to concentrated breeding programmes and expert research.
They breed quite successfully in captivity and can live considerably longer in captivity than in the wild.
Appearance
The Nicobar pigeon is classed as a large pigeon, typically measuring around 32–40 cm (13–16 inches) in length and weighing roughly 460–600 g (16–21 oz).
It has a sturdy body with a small head, long legs and wings.
It is a very striking and unusual bird with drooping, iridescent plumage.
The bird has a grey head, the colour continuing down into the upper neck, which turns into long green and copper hackles like a mane; the rest of the plumage is a vibrant metallic green that can look black in dull light.
The Nicobar pigeon’s tail is very short and a brilliant pure white.
It is thought this might be a kind of “indicator light” visible to other pigeons because in flight, Nicobars tend to fly in columns or single file.
The cere is a small, blackish mound at the upper base of the dark bill, and the eyes have dark irises.
The bird has strong legs and feet of a dull red colour.
There is very little difference in the colour range across all Nicobar pigeons.
Females are on average slightly heavier than males, with much overlap, but they have a smaller bill knob and shorter hackles.
Colour differences can be found in browner underparts for a female.
Both sexes have dark irises.
If you see a Nicobar pigeon with a black tail and a general lack of the characteristic iridescence, then it will almost certainly be an immature pigeon that has yet to assume its full adult appearance.
Nicobar Pigeon Character
Due to their threatened status and rather distant and elusive nature, far less is known about the Nicobar pigeon than many other pigeon breeds.
What we do know, though, is that they like to move around in flocks during the daytime, and they will also roost together at night.
Flocks can be quite large.
They share a general pigeon and dove trait of not sipping when drinking water, but rather submerging their entire bill into the liquid and sucking it up instead.
The call of the Nicobar pigeon is a low-pitched, repetitive cooing sound.
They will sometimes make a sound that resembles something like a pig’s grunt when scared or threatened!
Diet
The diet of a Nicobar Pigeon isn’t too dissimilar to the diet of many other kinds of pigeon.
Typically, the everyday diet of a Nicobar Pigeon tends to include different kinds of seeds, fruit, buds and possibly some small insects that might be found in their tropical environments.
In general, the Nicobar Pigeon spends a great deal of time on the floor of their forest, mangrove or shrubland, and as a result, they will feed on the floor as well.
This pigeon has a particularly strong gizzard, helped by a gizzard stone!
This means that they are able to grind up very hard foods that we humans could only eat after smashing them open.
Unfortunately, they are hunted for food, and their gizzard stones have sometimes been used in jewellery.
Nicobar Pigeon Mating and Breeding Behaviour
Sexual maturity is reported at around 12 months old, and in some areas they may breed for much of the year.
When breeding, the birds retreat to the very small, wooded, uninhabited offshore islands (this is one of the risks to their existence, because these islands are often logged to make way for plantations).
The Nicobar pigeon follows the same kinds of courtship patterns as most other doves and pigeons.
It is the male’s job to embark on a process of loud cooing and displaying their neck plumage for the females that they are interested in.
Once the courtship moves to a more advanced stage, the male will start to look like he is bowing for the female.
This can go on for a number of days in some cases and will then be followed by nest building.
The male usually chooses the nesting site and then sets about gathering twigs and other nesting materials, and the female then uses these materials to actually build the nest.
The height at which a nest is built depends on how disturbed the area is.
Mostly, because they prefer quieter places, nests are at 1-2 m high but in disturbed areas they can be as high as 12 m.
Nicobar pigeons don’t mind sharing a tree with other nesting pairs.
Like many other species, the Nicobar pigeon is a monogamous bird that tends to mate for life but unlike most pigeons who have a typical clutch of two, the Nicobar lays one faintly blue-tinged white egg.
Both male and female share the incubation, and the chick comes into the world almost completely naked!
The parents will keep the chicks as warm as possible for up to ten days, after which their feathers will start to grow.
Within a few weeks, the young Nicobar pigeons are able to leave the nest, but just like a large portion of young human adults that are ready to leave the nest, they tend to stick around with mom and dad for a little bit longer than they technically need to!
Taking Care of a Nicobar Pigeon
It’s a simple answer when it comes to thinking about what it takes to care for a Nicobar pigeon, and that answer is that you shouldn’t have one!
Due to its beautiful appearance and connection to the dodo, the Nicobar Pigeon is a very sought-after exotic bird, but because it is threatened, it is hard to obtain legally and is not suitable as a pet.
The Nicobar’s listing on Appendix I of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) means commercial international trade in wild birds is prohibited, and any legal trade in captive-bred birds needs permits.
Unfortunately, we know that these laws will not always prevent the most immoral and adamant bird collectors, but we hope (no, we know!) that our readers are the kind of people who respect the threatened status and rules regarding the Nicobar pigeon.
Last updated 31 October 2026 · Types