Pied Imperial-Pigeon (Ducula bicolor)

A distant record shot. These spectacular pigeons generally forage inland during the day but return to the coast to roost on offshore islands. Most authorities now split this species from the Yellowish Imperial-Pigeon of the Bismarck Archipelago and from the Torresian Imperial-Pigeon of Australia and New Guinea. Two subspecies are provisionally recognized with this one being D. b. melanura found in Molucca. It supposedly has more black on its undertail-coverts and tail, but these traits are subject to individual variation. Once abundant, these pigeons but were decimated at nesting colonies in the 19th century. They have recovered somewhat but still are not close to historic numbers.