page_title: Pink pigeon
section_title: Feeding in the wild
hierarchical_section_title: Pink pigeon / Diet / Feeding in the wild
caption_attribution_description: Mauritius Pink Pigeon - Columba mayeri
context_page_description: The pink pigeon is a species of pigeon in the family Columbidae endemic to Mauritius. The pink pigeon nearly became extinct in the 1990s and is still very rare. It is the only Mascarene pigeon that has not gone extinct. It was on the brink of extinction in 1991 when only 10 individuals remained, but its numbers have increased due to the efforts of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust since 1977. While the population remains at below 500 birds as of 2011, the IUCN downlisted the species from Critically endangered to Endangered on the IUCN Red List in 2000, and then downlisted it again to Vulnerable in 2018.
context_section_description: The pink pigeon is herbivorous, feeding on both exotic and native plants - consuming buds, flowers, leaves, shoots, fruits and seeds. These birds exhibit ground-feeding behaviors, moving and turning over leaf litter in order to find food and grit (for use as gizzard stones).
caption: Close-up of head
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