Purple-tailed Imperial-Pigeon

Ducula rufigaster

A fairly large pigeon of lowland and foothill rainforest interior. Pale pinkish head, orange underparts, metallic emerald green wings and back, and a purple rump. It is usually solitary, difficult to see and does not usually fly above the canopy. Similar to Rufescent Imperial Pigeon, but Purple-tailed is found at lower elevations and has an obvious pale gray tail band. Call, two introductory “tuk-tuk” notes followed by a long, rather out of tune, rising then falling “ooo-woo-ooo”

Identification

The purple-tailed imperial pigeon (Ducula rufigaster) is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is found in New Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is sometimes affected by Gunabopicobia parasites.

Taxonomy

Genus: Ducula; Family: Columbidae; Order: Columbiformes.

Scientific name
Ducula rufigaster
Authority
(Quoy & Gaimard, 1832)
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

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