Spectacled Imperial-Pigeon
Ducula perspicillata
A large pigeon with a green back, gray underparts, a darker gray head, and a bold white eye-ring. Juveniles are merely duller versions of adults. A bird of lowlands and hills, found within the canopy of forest and forest edge, normally in singles, pairs, or small groups where fruiting trees are present. Routinely heard call is a descending series of six deep hooting notes: “hoot-hoot-hoot-hoot-hoot-hoot.”
Identification
A large pigeon with a green back, gray underparts, a darker gray head, and a bold white eye-ring. Juveniles are merely duller versions of adults. A bird of lowlands and hills, found within the canopy of forest and forest edge, normally in singles, pairs, or small groups where fruiting trees are present. Routinely heard call is a descending series of six deep hooting notes: “hoot-hoot-hoot-hoot-hoot-hoot.”
Taxonomy
The spectacled imperial pigeon is a species in the large genus of imperial pigeons, Ducula. Within the genus, it is most closely related to the Seram imperial pigeon, with which it is sometimes considered conspecific. These two species form a species group with the green imperial pigeon and elegant imperial pigeon.<p>The species' generic name comes from the Neo-Latin ducula (duke), while the specific epithet perspicillata is from the Modern Latin perspicillata (spectacled), derived the Latin perspicillum (lens), which is itself from the Latin perspicere (to see through). Alternative names for the orange fruit dove include white-eyed imperial pigeon, white-spectacled imperial pigeon, and Moluccan imperial pigeon.<p>It is monotypic. However, the Seram imperial pigeon is sometimes considered to be a subspecies of this species.
- Scientific name
- Ducula perspicillata
- Authority
- (Temminck, 1824)
- Order
- Columbiformes
- Family
- Columbidae
- Genus
- Ducula
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Green-throated Mango
Anthracothorax viridigula
Large, dark hummingbird found in coastal regions and along large rivers. Use caution eliminating the more widespread Black-throated Mango, which often occurs in the same habitats; female-plumaged birds in particular may not be safely separable. Found in mangroves, abandoned plantations, swampy forests, and urban areas, often at higher levels in flowering trees, where it feeds on nectar and hawks for tiny flying insects. In proper light, green throat of male is diagnostic. Tail color is useful if bird can be studied at length; Green-throated’s tail is mostly purple, with brownish central tail feathers (tail of Black-throated is more chestnut, but subject to variation depending on light).
Great Parrotbill
Paradoxornis aemodius
Huge for a parrotbill, closer in size to a medium-sized thrush. Brown with a bright orange bill and a silvery-white forehead. Found in mid- to high-elevation broadleaf forests, often in close proximity to bamboo and rhododendron stands. Song consists of two short, hard notes followed by a wheezing whistle: "br-chr-weehhhrrr!" Calls include burry chattering, squealing, and distinctive fluting whistles. Joins laughingthrushes, babblers, and other medium-sized skulkers in mixed-species flocks.
Black-collared Barbet
Lybius torquatus
A chunky, medium-sized barbet with a yellowish belly; a red face is raggedly edged with a bold black cowl and breast band. In some forms the face is instead white or yellow. Pairs are resident in the canopy and mid-strata of a variety of open and closed woodlands, riverine forest, and cultivated areas, where they glean fruit and insects. Pairs sing a colorful and characteristic duet, “two-pudley, two-pudley, two-pudley”, that can go on for a minute or more. The similar Brown-breasted Barbet differs by having a broad brown breast band and a pale bill. Red-faced Barbet has black underparts.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.