- Gallicolumba rufigula
Identification
22–24 cm 8.7-9.4 inches. 121–137 g.
Male
- Centre of throat, breast and underparts are white with centre of breast gold
- Forehead reddish brown and buff
- Face pale pinkish buff with band of blue grey behind and above the eye
- Iris purple
- Beak dark purple
- Upperparts and edge of breast burgundy to rufous
- Grey edges to wing coverts shows as bars on closed wing
- Underwing coverts bands of black and white
- Centre retrices rufous purple , outers grey with wide rufous and black central bands;
- Legs and feet reddish purple
- Sexes similar
Female
- Slightly paler on forehead and breast.
Juvenile
- Centre of breast rufous
- Pale reddish brown edge to wing coverts.
Distribution
Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 5 subspecies[1]:
- G. r. rufigula:
- Western Papuan islands (New Guinea)
- G. r. septentrionalis:
- Northern New Guinea (east to Huon Gulf)
- G. r. helviventris: Darker on head, grey wing bars less conspicuous and infused with purple
- Aru Island and southern New Guinea (Waitakwa River to Fly River)
- G. r. alaris: Head markings are pinkish brown
- Southern New Guinea east to Karimui (Chimbu Province)
- G. r. orientalis:
- South-eastern New Guinea (west to Mambare River and Angabunga River)
Habitat
Primary rain forest and monsoon forest, up to 1000 m, occasionally to 1700 m.
Behaviour
Terrestrial, solitary
Diet
Seeds, insects and fallen fruits. Thought to take more insects than the sympatric Common Emerald Dove and Stephan's Dove Numbers may increase dramatically as wild bamboo seeds.
Breeding
Breeding season though to be from end of dry the season and the rainy season.
Nesting has been recorded in August in northern New Guinea, in September and October in the Trans-Fly region of southern and central New Guinea and in February and March in the Port Moresby area.
Nests are usually made from twigs and leaves placed on a firm base of palm fronds or birds nest fern. They have been recorded between 0·9–2·7 m above the ground.
1 egg, white with a trace of pale cream.
The chick is covered with an pale yellowish brown down.
Observations at 1 nest showed the chick to fully fledged by about day 9, but still in nest on day 16. The adult is very shy in the vicinity of the nest with one brooding parent giving a fluttering diversionary display when put to flight.
Vocalisation
Call a weak and rising warbling similar to a frog.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2014. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.9., with updates to August 2014. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Wikipedia
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved August 2015)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Cinnamon Ground Dove. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 26 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Cinnamon_Ground_Dove
