The Himalayas, is a mountain range which separates the Great Indian Plains from the Tibetan Plateau. This range is home to nine of the ten highest peaks on the Earth, including the highest, Mount Everest. The abrupt rise of the Himalayan Mountains from less than 500 meters to more than 8,000 meters in a few hundred kilometers has resulted in a huge diversity of flora and fauna. Nearly 1000 birds have been recorded in the Himalayas of which 15 species are fully endemic.
The orange-breasted green pigeon (Treron bicinctus) is widely distributed from the Himalayan Terai and lower Himalayas (below 1500 m) south mainly in the Western and Eastern Ghats and in Sri Lankan forests not far from the coast. Like other green pigeons, it feeds mainly on small fruits. The male has a pinkish band on the upper breast with a broader orange one below while the female has a bright yellow breast.
IUCN Status: Least Concern (LC) Photo: Thimindu Goonatillake