Hemiphaga

Hemiphaga is the genus containing two species of large pigeons from New Zealand.

Hemiphaga
Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Columbiformes
Family:	Columbidae
Subfamily:	Ptilinopinae
Genus:	Hemiphaga Bonaparte, 1854
Type species
Columba novaeseelandiae Gmelin, 1789
Species
See text

There are two subspecies of New Zealand pigeon, Hemiphaga novaseelandiae: H. n. novaseelandiae of mainland New Zealand and the Norfolk pigeon (H. n. spadicea) of Norfolk Island, now extinct. The subspecies differed in their plumage colour and shape.^[1]

In 2001, it was proposed that a third subspecies, H. n. chathamensis or the Chatham Island pigeon, was distinct enough to be raised to full species status as H. chathamensis.^[2] This has since been accepted by most authorities.^[3][4]

Taxonomy

The genus Hemiphaga was introduced by the French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1854 with the New Zealand pigeon (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) as the type species.^[5] The name combines the Ancient Greek hēmi meaning "half-" or "small" with the end of the genus name Carpophaga introduced by Prideaux John Selby in 1835.^[6]

The genus contains two species:^[7]

Genus Hemiphaga – Bonaparte, 1854 – two species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
New Zealand pigeon or kererū	Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae (Gmelin, 1789) Two subspecies H. n. novaeseelandiae N. h. spadicea	Northland to Stewart Island/Rakiura and offshore islands	Size: Habitat: Diet:	LC
Chatham pigeon or parea	Hemiphaga chathamensis (Rothschild, 1891)	Chatham Islands in New Zealand	Size: Habitat: Diet:	VU