The only living species is the Nicobar pigeon (C. nicobarica).

It is only known by subfossil remains and was probably hunted to extinction by the early settlers.

The spotted green pigeon, another extinct species from an unknown locality, has only a slight similarity to the Nicobar pigeon due to its neck feathers.

Ornithologists place it in this genus, but there is not a unanimous agreement.

The genus Caloenas was introduced by the English zoologist George Robert Gray in 1840 to accommodate the Nicobar pigeon.