Ornate Fruit-Dove
Ptilinopus ornatus
A fruit dove primarily of foothill forest but wanders to lowland and montane forest. Two very different races. Dark red-capped race from the Bird’s Head of New Guinea, and yellow-green capped further east. Note the white band from the bill around the back of the neck and clay-colored chest. Similar to Pink-spotted Dove, but Ornate Fruit-Dove has a dark red wedge on the shoulder and yellow tip to the tail. Voice a slow but accelerating series of rising “woop” notes, similar to that of Pink-spotted but not as fast.
Identification
The ornate fruit dove (Ptilinopus ornatus) is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is found in New Guinea. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.
Taxonomy
The ornate fruit dove was originally described as Ptilopus ornatus (an incorrect spelling of Ptilinopus) by Hermann Schlegel in 1871 on the basis of specimens from New Guinea. The species' generic name comes from the Ancient Greek ptilon (feather) and pous (foot), while the specific name ornatus is from the Latin word ornatus, meaning ornate or decorated. Ornate fruit dove is the official common name designated by the International Ornithologists' Union (IOU).<p>The ornate fruit dove is one of over 50 species of pigeon in the fruit dove genus Ptilinopus, which is found throughout Southeast Asia and Oceania. A 2014 study of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA by Alice Cibois and colleagues found that the ornate fruit dove was most closely related to the orange-fronted fruit dove. The same study also found that these two species were further sister (the closest relative of) to Wallace's fruit dove. These three species are sister to the pink-spotted fruit dove and these four species are sister to the grey-headed fruit dove. This group of five species is sister to a clade formed by the orange-bellied, white-headed, and claret-breasted fruit doves. The most basal species in the group is the Tanna fruit dove. The following cladogram shows the relationships of the ornate fruit dove with other species in its group based on the 2014 study:<p>The IOU currently recognises two subspecies of the ornate fruit dove. These two species are sometimes recognised as separate species by other authorities.
- Scientific name
- Ptilinopus ornatus
- Authority
- Schlegel, 1871
- Order
- Columbiformes
- Family
- Columbidae
- Genus
- Ptilinopus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Nomadic
Behavior
Migration pattern: Nomadic.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
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A spectacular cuckooshrike that resembles an oriole, with a yellow-green back, wings and tail, a dark head and bill, and large fleshy orange wattles under the eyes. The sexes differ: the underparts of the male are apricot and those of the female are yellow; she also has a less contrasting brownish head. Juvenile is like the female but barred above, with a less distinct head pattern. A rare bird found singly and in pairs in the canopy of primary and secondary lowland forest, often near water. Moves stealthily through the canopy, where it joins mixed-species parties; flight call is a thrush-like “tsik.” Differs from forest orioles by having a dark (not red) bill and fleshy wattles under the eyes.
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