Palau Fruit-Dove
Ptilinopus pelewensis
Brightly-colored Palau endemic with a pale gray (almost white) head, neon orange belly, pink forehead, and leaf-green back and wings. Yellow tail tip is especially prominent in flight. Inhabits forested areas throughout Palau, where it can be more easily heard than seen despite its bright colors; listen for its distinctive series of accelerating coos.
Identification
The Palau fruit dove is 23 to 25 cm (9.1–9.8 in) long and weighs around 93 g (3.3 oz). The species has a grey head, neck and breast with a purple cap and yellow line. There is an orange band across the lower breast and belly and olive-green back, wings and tail. Both sexes are alike. Juvenile birds resemble the adults but lack the purple cap, the green upperparts are lined with yellow and the belly is yellow.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Ptilinopus pelewensis
- Authority
- Hartlaub & Finsch, 1868
- Order
- Columbiformes
- Family
- Columbidae
- Genus
- Ptilinopus
Range and habitat
The Palau fruit dove is endemic to Palau, where it is common in all habitats across the island. The species declined due to hunting prior to 1945, but has rebounded with protection and is now common.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Selasphorus platycercus
Common hummingbird of high elevations. Breeds in open woodland with meadows and scrub. In winter, found at lower elevations. Male is distinctive in range with beautiful rosy-red throat and glistening green upperparts. Female is duller with buffy sides and speckled throat. Note broadly rounded tail feathers with restricted rufous. Feeds on nectar and small insects. Visits feeders.
Streak-chested Antpitta
Hylopezus perspicillatus
A plump ball on sticks. Fairly common and easily heard, but shy and rarely seen in the open. Striking plumage: bold buffy eyering, gray crown, black mustache stripe, thick black and white streaking on underparts, and buffy spots on wings. Singles or pairs are found on or near the ground in mature lowland forest from Honduras to Ecuador. Occasionally perches higher when singing. Listen for its song, a short series of plaintive whistled notes.
Black-throated Thrush
Turdus atrogularis
A dark, somberly-colored thrush of middle to high-altitude forests. Usually winters at higher elevations, but will occasionally move into foothill and lowland areas as well. Male is unmistakable, with a gray back, white belly, and a pitch-black throat and chest. Females are streaky brown below and may be confused with Red-throated Thrush, but Black-throated females do not show orange on the throat or the sides of the tail; the only warm colors on either bird are the orangish underwings. In areas of overlap, beware hybrids that may show features of both species. Song consists of various repeated phrases; call includes a low “chekchekchek” and high, thin “tseee.”
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