Atoll Fruit-Dove
Ptilinopus coralensis
A colorful dove, mostly green with a yellow belly, green wings, a silver neck and chest, and in the male, a limited magenta forehead patch. Similar to Makatea Fruit-Dove, but with much more washed-out coloring and pink instead of dark legs. The two species are unlikely to be found on the same islands. Call is a rising and falling series of typical dove-like coos.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Ptilinopus coralensis
- Authority
- Peale, 1849
- Order
- Columbiformes
- Family
- Columbidae
- Genus
- Ptilinopus
Range and habitat
The atoll fruit dove is widespread throughout the islands of the Tuamotu Archipelago, French Polynesia. In a 1999 survey it was found to be uncommon on five out of eight islands visited, but others have found it to be abundant on some atolls which have remained free from the ravages of introduced predators.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The atoll fruit dove is the world's only dove in the tropical Pacific that has adapted exclusively to low coral atolls. It lives in forests and abandoned coconut plantations. It mainly feeds on insects and seeds, usually on the ground. This species also eats the leaves of the "tafano" or "kahaia" (Guettarda speciosa ) trees with odorous flowers.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
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Streak-throated Swallow
Petrochelidon fluvicola
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