Caloenas


Caloenas is a genus of pigeons. The only living species is the Nicobar pigeon.
One or two extinct species are known: the Kanaka pigeon was a large species from New Caledonia and Tonga. It is only known by subfossil remains and was probably hunted to extinction by the early settlers. The spotted [green pigeon], another extinct species from an unknown locality, has only a slight similarity to the Nicobar pigeon due to its neck feathers. Ornithologists place it in this genus, but there is not a unanimous agreement. One surviving specimen exists in the Liverpool Museum.

Taxonomy

The genus Caloenas was introduced by the English zoologist George [Robert Gray] in 1840 to accommodate the Nicobar pigeon. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek kalos meaning "beautiful" with oinas meaning "dove".
The genus contains two species:
Sometimes included in the genus is a species that probably became extinct 2,500 years ago: