Cheetah vs Cinnamon-bellied Imperial-Pigeon

Acinonyx jubatus compared with Ducula basilica

Key Differences

• Cheetah is Vulnerable while Cinnamon-bellied Imperial-Pigeon is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cheetah	Cinnamon-bellied Imperial-Pigeon
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Carnivora (Carnivorans)	Columbiformes (Pigeons & Doves)
Family	Felidae (Cats)	Columbidae
Genus	Acinonyx (Cheetahs)	Ducula
Species	Acinonyx jubatus	Ducula basilica

Evolutionary Relationship

Cheetah and Cinnamon-bellied Imperial-Pigeon share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Cheetah

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~6.7K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Cinnamon-bellied Imperial-Pigeon

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cheetah	Cinnamon-bellied Imperial-Pigeon
Diet	Carnivore	—
Average Lifespan	12 years	—
Average Length	1.5 m	—
Average Weight	50.0 kg	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Cheetah

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 9 distinct biome types spanning the Afrotropic and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Botswana, Iran, Kenya, Namibia, and Tanzania. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Cinnamon-bellied Imperial-Pigeon

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Found in Norway.

Cheetah

The fastest land animal on Earth, reaching speeds of 112 km/h over short distances across African and Iranian grasslands. Slender build with a deep chest, long legs, and distinctive black tear-stripe markings. Unlike other big cats, cheetahs vocalize with chirps and purrs. Vulnerable, with only ~7,000 remaining due to habitat fragmentation and competition with larger predators.

Cinnamon-bellied Imperial-Pigeon

The cinnamon-bellied imperial pigeon (Ducula basilica) is a large, arboreal fruit pigeon in the family Columbidae, endemic to the Moluccas (Maluku Islands) of eastern Indonesia, including Halmahera, Bacan, Obi, Ternate, and adjacent smaller islands. It inhabits primary and mature secondary lowland and hill forest, where it feeds on fruits, figs, and berries in the forest canopy. The plumage is largely dark metallic green above with a distinctive cinnamon-rufous underside that differentiates it from related imperial pigeons. Large fruit pigeons of the genus Ducula are important seed dispersers in island forest ecosystems, capable of swallowing large fruits whole and dispersing seeds far from parent trees. The species is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, with populations considered stable in the Moluccas. However, all large fruit pigeons are susceptible to hunting pressure and habitat loss, and monitoring is needed given ongoing forest conversion in eastern Indonesia. The Moluccas harbor exceptional bird diversity due to their position between Asian and Australasian biotas. This species is absent from Europe entirely; Norwegian database records are incorrect geographic artifacts. Conservation of intact lowland forest in the Moluccas is important for this and many co-occurring endemic species.