• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Distribution map
• Reference and further resources

Justification of Red List category
This species has a large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence under 20,000 km² combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). The population size has not been quantified, but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (under 10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be over 10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). Despite the fact that the population trend appears to be decreasing, the decline is not believed to be sufficiently rapid to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (over 30% decline over ten years or three generations). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

Population justification
The global population size has not been quantified, but the species apparently occurs in densities several times greater than Columba elphinstonii; a density estimate of 12.3 birds/km² was obtained in forests south of Palakkad gap in Kerala (P. Jayadevan in litt. 2014). This species is considered to have a high dependency on forest habitat, and tree cover is estimated to have declined by 6.6% within its mapped range over the past three generations (Global Forest Watch 2022, using Hansen et al. [2013] data and methods disclosed therein). It is therefore tentatively suspected that this rate of cover loss may have led to a decline of between 1-19% in the species' population size over the same time frame, with a best estimate of reduction being 5-9%.

Trend justification
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Ducula cuprea occurs in the Western Ghats (south west India), from Goa and north west Karnataka to Kerala (del Hoyo et al. 1997).

Occurs from the plains to 2,000 m in evergreen forest and thick deciduous forest, mostly in hills and mountains (Rasmussen and Anderton 2005). Breeds January to May (Rasmussen and Anderton 2005).

43 cm. Large, powerful pigeon with pale grey-pink mantle and head and dark purplish-brown upperparts. The grey-pink colour continues on underparts but shades to a slightly rusty belly. The iris is dark. Similar spp. D. badia is very similar, but has a pale iris and paler grey underparts.

Text account compilers
Rutherford, C.A.

Contributors
Jayadevan, P.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Nilgiri Imperial-pigeon Ducula cuprea. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/nilgiri-imperial-pigeon-ducula-cuprea on 22/12/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 22/12/2024.