| Picazuro Pigeon (Patagioenas picazuro) |
| Synonyms: Columba picazuro |
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Patagioenas picazuro occurs in eastern South America from Pará and Mato Grosso (Brazil) to northern Argentina, and Uruguay. Mostly resident, but some seasonal movements in the south. It inhabits gallery forests, edges of moist tropical forests, woodlands, savannas (cerrado), caatinga, fields and pastures, where some trees remain, suburbs, and urban parks; up to 1,100 m. Apparently benefited from deforestation. A large pigeon (average length 34 cm, weight 400 g) with a pinkish-purple head, nape and upper breast, and paler lower breast and belly; a scaly semi-necklace of metallic silvery or greenish feathers on the back of the neck. The wing coverts are gray with pale tips; the tail is black; the legs are vinaceous-red. The white wing bands are visible in flight. Nesting season is extended. A flimsy nest of twigs is built in a tree or shrub. Usually 1 egg per clutch, rarely 2. Incubation 16-20 days; by both parents. The chick is fed on crop milk and later regurgitated seeds. This species sometimes hybridizes with Pale-vented Pigeon (P. cayennensis). Picazuro Pigeon feeds on small fruits, buds, and seeds, e.g., spilled corn or beans in fields.
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