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green bird, Port Vila, Vanuatu (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter BirdingRob
- Start date
James Jobling
Well-known member
Vanuatu Fruit Dove Ptilinopus tannensis
Opus currently calls that bird Tanna Fruit Dove.
There are no other pictures of it in the Gallery, can we upload it to Opus, please Rob.
BirdingRob
Brit abroad
Feel free to upload. No problem on that score but if the bird is a Vanuatu fruit dove then what is this one?
I seem to have three fruit doves - red-bellied (not shown), Vanuatu/Tanna fruit dove and a.n.other but the list only has two
PS. Tanna is only one of the Vanuatu islands. Vanuatu fruit dove does seem a more appropriate name seeing that the one above was seen on Efate which is a long way from Tanna.
Rob
I seem to have three fruit doves - red-bellied (not shown), Vanuatu/Tanna fruit dove and a.n.other but the list only has two
PS. Tanna is only one of the Vanuatu islands. Vanuatu fruit dove does seem a more appropriate name seeing that the one above was seen on Efate which is a long way from Tanna.
Rob
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Thanks very much Rob, that's much appreciated, I'll add it later when I've woken up a bit
In view of your comments I checked with Avibase and it appears that just about all the authorities now call Ptilinopus tannensis the Tanna Fruit Dove, although it's had a number of other names in the past.
Opus isn't a 'naming' authority, we follow a concensus of three of the main ones.
BirdingRob
Brit abroad
I have got more pictures showing its silver shoulders and yellow head (hence two old names of silver shouldered fruit dove and yellow headed fruit dove). But I am still keen to know what the other fruit dove is - the one decked out in the colours of the Australian rugby team
James Jobling
Well-known member
Juvenile Vanuatu Fruit Dove Ptilinopus tannensis. This correspondence shows the importance of scientific names and highlights the vagaries of English substantive names (which can never be shackled by rules and "official" lists). No matter whether the species is called Silver-shouldered Fruit Dove, Yellow-headed Fruit Dove, Tanna Fruit Dove, Tanna Island Fruit Dove, New Hebrides Fruit Dove, or Vanuatu Fruit Dove, it will always be Ptilinopus tannensis.
birdboybowley
Well-known member.....apparently so ;)
Can't find any reference to the yellow on the face of imm RB - not in Pigeons & Doves or the new Melanesia guide. Where have you gotten that from Roy? But agree, certainly doesn't look anything like an imm P tannensis and going on the species present on the island it has to be RB.....
I visited on a family holiday. Our guide had much knowledge of Pacific birds, their plumage, voices and behavior. On a walk without guide we saw several young fruit doves and I called them Tanna fruit dove because of yellow edge on wings and yellow vent. When getting the description our guide said that juveniles of many types of fruit doves including Red-bellied fruit dove have yellow edge to wing and yellow vent. Yellow streak above and in front of eye is common in juvenile Red-bellied fruit dove and not in Tanna fruit dove. He also said yellow eye streak sometimes can be seen in juvenile of close relatives of Red-bellied fruit dove like Atoll fruit dove and Purple-capped fruit dove. Google has one young Red-bellied fruit dove. It already has faint rose crown and belly but still has remant of yellow streak at eye http://www.oiseaux.net/photos/olivier.hebert/red-bellied.fruit.dove.2.html
birdboybowley
Well-known member.....apparently so ;)
Ah right, cheers for that Roy. Interesting stuff that the newest fieldguide for the region missed what would seem to be quite an obvious feature (thankfully, I didn't paint the pigeons! )
)BirdingRob
Brit abroad
OK, thanks all. So it looks like the second bird I posted is juvenile red-bellied fruit dove. There were certainly adult red-bellied in the same tree (but also Tanna by the way).
Finally there was another fruit dove in the same tree. I assume it was a female or not quite adult male red-bellied
Any more thought from you experts out there
PS I never cease to be amazed by the expertise on this site even about remote places and rare birds.
Cheers
Rob
Finally there was another fruit dove in the same tree. I assume it was a female or not quite adult male red-bellied
Any more thought from you experts out there
PS I never cease to be amazed by the expertise on this site even about remote places and rare birds.
Cheers
Rob
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birdboybowley
Well-known member.....apparently so ;)
Yep another RB - I'd've said young male personally
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