The genus
Caloenas was introduced by the English zoologist
George Robert Gray in 1840 to accommodate the
Nicobar pigeon. The genus name combines the
Ancient Greek kalos meaning "beautiful" with
oinas meaning "dove". The genus contains two species: •
Nicobar pigeon (
Caloenas nicobarica) • †
Spotted green pigeon (
Caloenas maculata) Sometimes included in the genus is a species that probably became extinct 2,500 years ago: • †
Kanaka pigeon (
Caloenas canacorum)
Balouet & Olson, 1989 ==References==