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This is a Non-Federal dataset covered by different Terms of Use than Data.gov.

Band-tailed Pigeon Surveys Generalized - CDFW [ds889]

Metadata Updated: November 23, 2025

Band-tailed Pigeons (Patagioenas fasciata) are California's only native wild pigeon. The birds in California are part of the Pacific Coast population (P. f. monilis), and inhabit montane coniferous forests and oak woodlands in the Coast Ranges and western Sierra Nevada (Keppie and Braun 2000). Though some populations appear to be resident, the species is generally considered migratory (Smith 1968). Breeding occurs in the coniferous forests of California, Oregon and Washington (Blackmon 1976; Keppie and Braun 2000; Smith 1968). These birds are characterized by slate gray to purple plumage with males having a deeper purple coloration. There is a bright white crescent on the hindneck of adults with a patch of greenish bronze iridescent patch below (Keppie and Braun 2000). A k-selected species, Band-tailed Pigeons have the lowest reproductive potential of any game bird in California (Grinnell 1913). Breeding peaks in May/ June and extends through the summer, with usually not more than 1 nesting attempt per season and a typical clutch size of 1 egg, though larger numbers of nesting attempts and eggs per clutch have been reported (Keppie and Braun 2000; Leonard 1998). Feeding is variable and dependent on fruit/mast availability. During the non-breeding season, birds are nomadic and localize to acorn masting events. Birds have been documented feeding on fresh buds in spring then moving into elderberries, cascara, madrone and other fruits. In fall and into winter, acorns are taken whole (Keppie and Braun 2000). Pacific Coast Band-tailed pigeons continue to experience long term population declines. Harvest independent population monitoring comes from the Breeding Bird Survey and the Mineral Site Survey. The Breeding Bird Survey provides evidence of a significant downward population trend of 2.0% per year over a term from 1968-2012. Mineral Site Survey results show downward trends but 9 and 5 year trend confidence intervals include zero and are therefore considered inconclusive (Sanders 2012). The Mineral Site Survey is coordinated by the USFWS and is a cooperative effort amongst California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia (via the Canadian Wildlife Service). The survey takes advantage of the birds' habit of congregating at springs and seeps that have high levels of mineral content. Fifty sites are surveyed annually; 10 in California, 22 in Oregon, 14 in Washington and 4 in British Columbia (Sanders 2012). The results of this survey are used to index the band-tailed pigeon population at the population level. These data describe the location of the 10 sites required for the flyway survey as well as additional sites that are surveyed if possible to improve precision. Coordinates of locations are available and may be distributed upon request and written justification of need.

Access & Use Information

Public: This dataset is intended for public access and use. Non-Federal: This dataset is covered by different Terms of Use than Data.gov. License: See this page for license information.

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Dates

Metadata Created Date July 24, 2025
Metadata Updated Date November 23, 2025

Metadata Source

Harvested from State of California

Additional Metadata

Resource Type Dataset
Metadata Created Date July 24, 2025
Metadata Updated Date November 23, 2025
Publisher California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Maintainer
Identifier 86bff8e3-c497-4276-8a40-b6d3ed0cccd6
Data First Published 2020-02-28T00:10:20.000Z
Data Last Modified 2020-02-28T00:10:52.708Z
Category Natural Resources
Public Access Level public
Metadata Context https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema/catalog.jsonld
Schema Version https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema
Catalog Describedby https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema/catalog.json
Harvest Object Id e04e3cbc-5d67-45c1-9e84-820b61666cc3
Harvest Source Id 3ba8a0c1-5dc2-4897-940f-81922d3cf8bc
Harvest Source Title State of California
License http://www.opendefinition.org/licenses/cc-by
Source Datajson Identifier True
Source Hash 50553dc8444c603bc275de747ced47973eca9c1a6fb3747479e2f5e1e6b6e541
Source Schema Version 1.1

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