Rare Moment in Gir: Tree-Dwelling "yellow-footed green" pigeon spotted on forest floor in Gujarat

A rare sighting of a Yellow-footed Green Pigeon on the ground in Gir National Park. (Image: X/@mpparimal)

• Yellow-footed green pigeon spotted on Gir Forest floor in Gujarat.
• Rare ground sighting as bird usually dwells in tree crowns.
• Bird descends for geophagy, seeking minerals from soil.

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Maharashtra state bird was spotted in Gujarat in the Gir National Park. This is a wildlife shot that has just been captured. The yellow footed green pigeon was observed settling peacefully on the forest floor. This is a rare sighting as the bird usually dwells most of its life in the tree crowns and is not spotted commonly on the ground in the wild.

A Bird That Lives Mostly in Trees

Yellow footed green pigeon is a tree dwelling animal. It inhabits mostly on tree-tops. It is widely distributed over forests and wooded regions of the Indian subcontinent, especially in locations where there is growth of fruit bearing trees.

A rare moment from #Gir — the tree-dwelling Yellow-footed Green Pigeon on the forest floor! The Yellow-footed Green Pigeon (India’s state bird of Maharashtra) is primarily an arboreal species, meaning it spends most of its life in the canopy feeding on fruits and resting in… pic.twitter.com/3vXIHTfutc

— Parimal Nathwani (@mpparimal) March 11, 2026

Geophagy behaviour of this bird

Scientists refer to this practice as Geophagy when the birds such as the Yellow-footed Green Pigeon descend to the ground to feast on soil or lick minerals.

It assists the bird to get the much-needed minerals, such as calcium or sodium that might not be entirely obtained in fruits. It is a normal and healthy behaviour that can be observed in a number of birds, mammals as well as some reptiles.

A Short and Careful Visit

According to the bird experts, such pigeons prefer not to spend much time on the ground. When they are sure that they have no predators or between the lower branches in the thick forest, they are likely to go down.

The bird is never common, but on certain occasions, it will manage to go down to the ground of the forest because of certain reasons.

Why This Rare Moment Matters?

Trees provide necessary source of food and protection to the species. The ground sightings are not that common. This viral video of the bird on the ground of the forest in Gir shows an unusual and interesting behaviour of the bird.

This pigeon normally inhabits the forest canopy where the pigeon feeds on the fruits, rests and hides among the leaves. It is green in colour and thus uses foilage camouflage and evades predators.