Observation of Japanese green pigeon treron sieboldii excreting tapeworms

Abstract

The Japanese Green Pigeon Treron sieboldii has been reported to drink water from the sea or mineral springs in Hokkaido, Gumma and Kanagawa. Especially, at the Teru-gasaki seashore, Kanagawa Prefecture, the seasonal change in the number of birds visiting the shore to drink seawater is well known. This study describes the seasonal change in the number and behavior of birds visiting and drinking water at Myogadani springs, Hiroshima, in 2017 and 2018. During the study period, a video camera study documented 7,234 birds (3,381 males, 3,468 females and 385 juveniles, without individual identification) as visiting the mineral springs and drinking the water. Ninety-eight of the recorded birds were seen to have white stringy materials dangling from the cloaca. Examination of these materials indicated them to be tapeworms of the subfamily Eucestoda. This suggests that in addition to its main food, i.e. fruits, the Japanese Green Pigeon also eats arthropods.