Yellow-fronted fruit pigeon
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Yellow-fronted fruit dove ( Ptilinopus aurantiifrons ) |
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| Ptilinopus aurantiifrons | ||||||||||
| Gray , 1858 |
The yellow-browed fruit pigeon ( Ptilinopus aurantiifrons ) is a monotypic species of fruit pigeon that occurs exclusively in New Guinea .
The population of the species was classified in the IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species in 2016 as “ Least Concern (LC) ” = “not endangered”.
Appearance
The yellow-fronted fruit pigeon reaches a body length of 22.5 centimeters. It is therefore smaller than a laughing dove . There is no noticeable sexual dimorphism . In the female, only the color of the front head is a little more dull.
Both sexes of the yellow-fronted fruit pigeon have a large yellow spot on the forehead, which is clearly differentiated from the otherwise dark green head. The neck is dark gray, the coat is pale gray. The wing covers are dark green, with numerous feathers having an olive-colored border. The arm and hand wings are dark green with a purple and turquoise sheen. The back and the upper tail-coverts are olive-colored, the control feathers are green.
The chin and throat are white and merge into a dark slate-gray fore neck. The chest and belly are olive-colored, the flanks are a little grayer, the rump is a little lighter. The under tail-coverts are lemon yellow with a dark green spot on the inner lugs of the individual feathers. The iris is red to orange with a bluish inner ring.
Distribution area
The yellow-fronted fruit pigeon is endemic to New Guinea. It occurs here in the lowlands of the main island. It also colonizes some of the islands bordering New Guinea such as Aru, Batanta, Papen, Salawati, Sarika and Normanby. It is a very common bird in suitable habitats.
It colonizes open regions more than most fruit pigeons and occurs in mangroves, in forest areas along the coast, in savannas, on agricultural areas with sparse trees, gallery forests, secondary forests and gardens. It is comparatively rare in the dense tropical rainforest.
Way of life
The yellow-fronted fruit pigeon usually occurs in small flocks of three to six individuals. On fruit-bearing trees it can often be seen with other fruit pigeon species. Their diet consists mainly of fruits, which they peck directly from the branches of the trees. Figs play a particularly important role in their diet. The flight is quick and direct.
Yellow-fronted fruit dove nests were observed in January, April, September and November. This suggests that their breeding season falls in the middle of the dry season to the beginning of the rainy season. The nest is a pigeon-typical loose platform made of small twigs that is built in a fork of a tree or a thorn bush. The nest is between 2.4 and 4.6 meters above the ground. The male collects the nest material. The clutch consists of a single egg.
literature
- David Gibbs, Eustace Barnes and John Cox: Pigeons and Doves - A Guide to the Pigeons and Doves of the World . Pica Press, Sussex 2001, ISBN 90-74345-26-3 .
- Alois Münst and Josef Wolters: Tauben - The species of wild pigeons , 2nd expanded and revised edition, Verlag Karin Wolters, Bottrop 1999, ISBN 3-9801504-9-6 .
- Gerhard Rösler: The wild pigeons of the earth - free living, keeping and breeding . M. & H. Schaper Verlag, Alfeld-Hannover 1996, ISBN 3-7944-0184-0 .
Web links
- Ptilinopus aurantiifrons inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016.1. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
Single receipts
- ↑ Ptilinopus aurantiifrons in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016.1. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2016. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
- ↑ a b c Gibbs, Barnes and Cox: Pigeons and Doves , p. 475.
- ^ Gibbs, Barnes and Cox: Pigeons and Doves , p. 476.