Size: Length; 40cm. Weight; 315g.

Habitat and distribution: Mauritius. Low montane wet forest and low-canopied upland forest.

Age: 17 to 18 years.

Groups and breeding: Nest built from sticks, usually 4 to 15 meters above the ground. Usually lay 2 eggs, which are incubated by both sexes for a period of 14 days.

Diet: Flowers, fruits, seeds, leaves and occasionally invertebrates.

• Deforestation on the island of Mauritius has caused catastrophic declines in a number of species including the Pink Pigeon.
• The Pink Pigeon has been rescued from the brink of extinction by an intensive management programme in partnership between the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and Mauritian Wildlife Foundation. A captive breeding programme began in the early 1980s and Gerald Durrell released the first individuals back into the wild in 1984, since when the wild population has stabilised.
• This is one of the 309 species which form the Columbidae family (pigeons and doves).
• The now extinct Dodo was a member of the pigeon family.
• Flight muscles in pigeons tend to be larger in comparison with  other bird groups. Their flight muscles may make up to 44 per cent. of the bird’s body weight!
• There are no differences between pigeons and doves other than size.
• Pigeons produce a crop milk to feed their chicks.
• Pigeons are excellent navigators and use both the magnetic field of the planet and the position of the sun to find their way.