Cream-breasted Fruit-Dove
Ramphiculus merrilli
A fairly large dove of lowland and low-elevation montane forest. Has green upperparts to the back of the neck, a gray head and chest, a creamy belly, and white under the base of the tail, scalloped green. Note the purple spot across the flight feathers. The race from northern Luzon has a dark red crown. Similar to Black-chinned Fruit-Dove, but Cream-breasted has a narrow chest band and a cream rather than green belly. Song is a drawn-out, deep quavering “brrrrrrr.”
Identification
The cream-breasted fruit dove (Ramphiculus merrilli) or cream-bellied fruit dove is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is a large and primarily greenish dove with a distinctive red wing patch and cream coloured breast which it was named after. It is endemic to the Philippines found only on the islands of Luzon, Catanduanes and Polillo Islands. Its natural habitat is tropical moist lowland to montane forests of up to 1,300 masl. It is threatened by habitat loss and trapping for the pet trade. This species was formerly placed in the genus Ptilinopus. It is illegal to hunt, capture or keep cream-breasted fruit-doves under Philippine Law RA 9147.
Taxonomy
The cream-breasted fruit dove is one of over 50 species in the genus Ptilinopus. Within the genus, it is most closely allied with the flame-breasted fruit dove.<p>It was formerly placed in the obsolete genus Leucotreron. The species' generic name comes from the Greek ptilon (feather) and pous (foot), while the specific epithet is in honor of Elmer Drew Merrill, an American botanist. Alternative names for the cream-breasted fruit dove include Merrill's fruit dove.
- Scientific name
- Ramphiculus merrilli
- Authority
- (McGregor, 1916)
- Order
- Columbiformes
- Family
- Columbidae
- Genus
- Ramphiculus
Range and habitat
This frugivorous species is found chiefly in primary and selectively logged forest up to 1,300 m in the Sierra Madre.<p>This bird is listed as near-threatened with its primary threats being habitat loss and hunting for both food and the pet trade.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Gray-crowned Tetraka
Xanthomixis cinereiceps
Attractive, medium-sized tetraka. Green back, gray head, white throat, and yellowish underparts. Madagascar endemic that is found in eastern rainforest at middle and high elevations. Inhabits the mid-story, most often feeding by creeping along mossy branches like a woodpecker. Frequently joins flocks with tetrakas and other species. Call is a series of high, silvery, sputtered “sit” notes. Separated from Spectacled Tetraka by its smaller size, brighter underparts, gray head, and tree-creeping habits.
Taiga Flycatcher
Ficedula albicilla
Small brown flycatcher with a sharply contrasting black-and-white tail. Breeding male has an orange throat patch surrounded by a faint gray wash. Non-breeding male has darker flanks and far less orange on the throat. Female is cold brown above and dirty-white below. Red-breasted Flycatcher can be very similar; in Taiga, note restricted orange patch and gray throat wash in breeding male and overall colder coloration and darker bill. Voice also differs: Taiga has a more complex song comprised of whistles and trills, and a dry trill, faster than that of Red-breasted. Breeds in forested areas, favoring coniferous and mixed deciduous tracts with clearings and waterways. Winters in various wooded or shrubby habitats.
Brown Parrotbill
Paradoxornis unicolor
Dark brown parrotbill with a stout yellow bill and an arching black eyebrow. Like many other parrotbills, shows a strong affinity for high-elevation bamboo thickets, in which it moves about noisily in small flocks. In central China, overlaps with Three-toed Parrotbill, but note present species’ less prominent eyering, duller bill, generally paler-eyed appearance, and a “bristly” face with prominent pale streaks on the cheek. Calls include nasal rising notes and harsh churrs.
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