Banggai Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus subgularis Scientific name definitions

33–36 cm; 142 g. Head, neck and most of underparts silvery grey tinged greenish yellow on hindneck; small patch on upper throat dark chestnut; large buff patch on lower breast, flanks green; undertail-coverts and vent dark chestnut; tibial feathers chestnut and grey-green; upperparts green, darker and bluer on primaries; tail has indistinct narrow pale terminal bar; iris orange, red or orange-brown, with blue orbital skin; bill bright yellow; legs and feet red or purplish red. Female similar to male but has more green on neck. Juvenile apparently undescribed. R. epius has a much larger buff breast patch, paler vent and undertail-coverts, and a smaller bill; <em>R. mangoliensis</em> has pale green face to belly, rather than grey, and a broader, green hindcollar.

Formerly placed in genus Leucotreron. Until recently, considered conspecific with R. epius and R. mangoliensis, but epius has less greenish yellow on hindneck, larger buff breast patch and paler undertail-coverts; mangoliensis lacks breast spot, has greener nape, and underside with broad greenish-yellow feather tips. Song different from both. Monotypic.

Mainly in primary forest, but also frequents some secondary and disturbed areas from lowlands to montane regions (1 Gibbs, D., E. Barnes, and J. Cox (2001). Pigeons and Doves: A Guide to the Pigeons and Doves of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ). It apparently enters degraded forest interspersed with agriculture, at least on Peleng, where the species has been recorded from near sea-level to at least 900 m (2 Rheindt, F. E., F. Verbelen, D. D. Putra, A. Rahman, and M. Indrawan (2010). New biogeographic records in the avifauna of Peleng Island (Sulawesi, Indonesia), with taxonomic notes on some endemic taxa. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 130(3):181–207. Close ).

Presumably sedentary.

Known to take fruits from branches and is exclusively arboreal, but no other information.

A series of c. 20 “whoop” notes (more than in both R. epius and R. subgularis) delivered at a rate of approximately eight “whoops” per second (significantly faster than both other species), with each note lasting c. 0·07 second (shorter than in both R. epius and R. subgularis) and the complete song lasting c. 2·7 seconds (very similar to R. mangoliensis, but longer than R. epius) (3 Rheindt, F.E., Eaton, J.A. and Verbelen, F. (2011). Vocal trait evolution in a geographic leapfrog pattern: speciation in the Maroon-chinned Fruit Dove (Ptilinopus subgularis) complex from Wallacea. Wilson J. Orn.. 123(3): 429–440. Close ).

A simple platform nest constructed of small branches, found in montane forest, attended by a single adult (unsexed), was found in early May (2 Rheindt, F. E., F. Verbelen, D. D. Putra, A. Rahman, and M. Indrawan (2010). New biogeographic records in the avifauna of Peleng Island (Sulawesi, Indonesia), with taxonomic notes on some endemic taxa. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 130(3):181–207. Close ). No further information.

VULNERABLE. Global population may be of the order of 2500–10,000 mature individuals, or 3500–15,000 birds in total. Thought to be suffering moderately rapid decline occasioned by ongoing habitat loss; by 1991, logging had commenced in the last remaining areas of primary habitat on Peleng, which could lead to further encroachment by shifting cultivators as a result of improved access, while exploration by mining companies could also lead to more habitat loss on Peleng in the near future (2 Rheindt, F. E., F. Verbelen, D. D. Putra, A. Rahman, and M. Indrawan (2010). New biogeographic records in the avifauna of Peleng Island (Sulawesi, Indonesia), with taxonomic notes on some endemic taxa. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 130(3):181–207. Close ).