India GO
Bird · Columba elphinstonii
Nilgiri wood-pigeon
IUCN LC · Least concern
A large Western Ghats endemic pigeon, dark maroon and grey with a distinctive black-and-white chequerboard patch on the nape.
How to recognise it
Sits still and high in shola canopy and is usually found by the deep, slow, owl-like coo. It flies with a clatter when flushed.
Where to see it
Munnar
It depends on fruiting shola trees and moves seasonally between elevations following the fruit, so it turns up and disappears from the same patch over the year.
Pampadum Shola National Park (Vattavada road) (in season) · Eravikulam National Park (in season)
Ooty & Coonoor
It follows fruiting shola trees up and down the hills through the year, so it appears in a patch for a few weeks and then is gone.
Sim's Park Coonoor (in season) · Avalanche & Emerald Lakes (Eco-Safari) (in season) · Doddabetta Peak