The above two pics were taken on the day Betty was rescued on March 28, 2010 when she was just a baby and her feathers and wings not fully grown in. We got a call from the ppl who found her and asked us to take care of her because they couldn't so we did. She was nurtured and loved in the E-division of the ladrang. We thought it was a boy so was called Oscar..hehee..now I've changed the name to Betty..She's looks like a Betty to me..
It's already been one month since she came into our lives and she is friendly, not scared of people and loves attention. I've moved her into the large aviary we have here at the ladrang to start adjusting to the other birds and outdoor life. She is in her cage placed inside the large aviary. We;ll keep her there for a week or so to adjust. I want Betty to be happy.
Betty has been hand fed and well taken care of by the ladrang staff and she has grown in her wings. In the new aviary, she'll be free, with alot of space, air, sunshine and nice food. I want her to be happy.
Now she is eating vegetables and fruits..Betty likes dragon fruits..bless her little heart. I love her. She is a nice birdie.
May she and all animals never suffer, be killed, rough handled or abused.
Tsem Tulku
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Some official information on Betty below.
| Pink-necked Green Pigeon Treron vernans Punai Kerichau/Gading (Malay)  Pink-necked Green Pigeons eat mainly fruits. Their colourful attire allows them to blend perfectly in the foliage of fruiting trees (can you spot the pigeon in the photo on the left?)Figs are their favourite, but they also eat palm fruit and berries, and nibble on buds. In Sungei Buloh, their favourite food include the fruit of the Macaranga, Cherry Tree (Muntingia calabura), small banyan figs (Ficus benjamina), and Singapore Rhododendron (Melastoma malabathricum). Like other Green Pigeons, they are arboreal and seldom come the ground except to drink, although they may snack on berries of low bushes. Pink-necked Green Pigeons are the only Green Pigeons found commonly outside the primary forest. They prefer habitats with trees that provide fruits as well as a safe perch including mangroves, scrub, secondary forest, forest edge. |
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Pink-necked Green Pigeons forage most actively in the early morning. Although they may feed in flocks of up to 30 in a fruiting tree, males especially may defend small patches from others in the flock. Pink-necked Green Pigeons tend to roost together and a site may attract hundreds of birds from a wide area and become a traditional roost. Favoured roosting sites are tall trees in swamps and mangroves. But they nest alone and not in large colonies.
Pigeons and doves do not have well-developed oil glands, which in other birds are used to waterproof their feathers. Instead, they have special plumes scattered throughout their body which disintegrate to produce a powder which cleans and lubricates the feathers.
| Breeding (late March to late July): The male Pink-necked is very handsome and colourful. The duller female is easily confused with those of other Green Pigeons and is best identified by her male consort who is usually nearby. Like other pigeons, the nest is a flimsy platform of twigs. About 15-20 cm in diameter, and so thin that sometimes the contents can be seen from below! The male collects the nesting material and passes these on to the female to assemble. Pairs nest alone, preferring spots near open spaces, in bushes as low as 2m off the ground and up to 10m high in trees and palms. |
Pigeon's Milk The most fascinating feature of pigeons and doves is their ability to produce crop milk. During breeding season, special glands in the crops of both males and females enlarge and secrete a thick milky substance. The chicks drink this milk by poking their bills into the parent's throat. Thus, pigeons and doves can feed their young without having to incessantly hunt or forage for food. Instead of laying many eggs, they lay one or at most two eggs. Their abundance is proof that this feature gives them the advantage. |
Migration? Although Pink-necked Green Pigeons may travel long distances to forage for food, they are quite sedentary and don't migrate.
Status and threats: The Pink-necked Green Pigeons used to be far more common in the past; bags of them where regularly shot during colonial times in Singapore. They are still hunted in other parts of Asia, usually shot as they gathered in large flocks in the evening at their communal roosts. They are a particular favourite probably because, according to Tweedie, they are "just big enough to be worth cooking". Besides this hunting pressure, they are probably also affected by the disappearance of their food trees. Nevertheless, Pink-neck Pigeons are still among the more commonly seen of Green Pigeons in Singapore as they have adapted to non-forest habitats such as mangroves, cultivated land in rural as well as urban areas.
