Ardea
Official journal of the Netherlands Ornithologists' Union

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Hoogerwerf A. (1969) Opmerkingen over het voedsel van Caloenas nicobarica en Ducula bicolor. ARDEA 57 (1-2): 86-88
A few corrections and additions are given on a previous paper relating to the distribution and the food of the Nicobar Pigeon (Caloenas nicobarica) and the Pied Imperial Pigeon (Ducula bicolor) (Hoogerwerf 1967). The identification as Sterculia foetida is upheld as food of at least Ducula bicolor, Eudynamys scolopacea and Corvus macrorhynchos. It is considered unlikely that pigeons with an extremely strong muscular gizzard like Caloenas nicobarica and Ducula bicolor would allow even the seeds of Sterculia foetida to pass undamaged and capable to germinate after having left the bird's alimentary tract. These seeds are wholly digested instead. Pigeons therefore do not seem to contribute as a rule to the dispersion of the seeds of this tall tree. Birds with less strong gizzards, like Eudynamys and Corvus, are much more likely to be important in this case.


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