Only a few hundred Timor green pigeons may remain. There is still time to save them

Only 100–500 left: Why the Timor green pigeon is disappearing

The Timor green pigeon is on the brink of extinction, with only an estimated 100–500 mature individuals left. Here’s why hunting and habitat loss are driving its decline.

Only a few hundred Timor green pigeons may remain. There is still time to save them

Founder's Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. On April 20, on the south coast of Timor-Leste, Jafet Potenzo Lopes saw three green pigeons. He had not seen the species for years. The birds were Timor green pigeons, and the site, in Manatuto municipality, had no previous record of them. With the species nearing extinction, finding three birds in a new place was e…