Ile de Merpati Sauwandarek Village, Meos Mansar, Kabupaten Raja Ampat, Papua Bar., Indonesia. 17 November 2023.
Alternative names: Black-knobbed Imperial Pigeon
- Ducula myristicivora
Identification
41-43 cm.
- Pale silvery grey head, neck and breast, tinged pink
- Creamy white band at base of bill is usually inconspicuous
- White ring around eye in some populations
- Black enlarged, knob-like cere
- Pale pink hindcrown and nape
- Pale mauve or greyish pink lower breast and belly, merging into grey of upper breast and darker greyish-pink flanks, with dark chestnut undertail-coverts
- Black mantle, iridescent emerald-green rump and wing-coverts with blue or bronzy sheen
- Blackish green to blackish blue primaries, secondaries and rectrices
Sexes similar, males slightly larger. Juveniles without enlarged cere, paler chestnut undertail-coverts and greener uppertail.
- Eye reddish
Similar species
Geelvink Imperial Pigeon lacks the black knob-like cere, has no pink on hindcrown, never shows a white eye-ring and the pink and grey areas of its plumage is slightly darker.
Elegant Imperial Pigeon can look similar to juveniles but note larger size, paler head and underparts, pink wash confined to nape and no contrast between breast and belly.
Distribution
Found on several islands off western New Guinea (Indonesia).
Scarce and local in its range. Reported to be common on Sinapang Island but rare on adjacent islands of Batanta and Salawati, and only one record from Widi Island. Unclear if birds on the mainland are vagrants or scarce residents.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Geelvink Imperial Pigeon was formally included in this species.
Habitat
Occurs in primary, secondary and logged forest. Also in mangroves. From sea-level up to 500 m.
Behaviour
Diet
Feeds on fruits.
Forages singly or in pairs, gathers in small groups at fruiting trees.
Breeding
No information available.
Movements
Mainly a resident species but occasionally wanders long distances and turns up as vagrant on adjacent mainland.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2022. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2022. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Gill, F, D Donsker, and P Rasmussen (Eds). 2022. IOC World Bird List (v 12.2) DRAFT. Doi 10.14344/IOC.ML.12.2. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved July 2015)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Spice Imperial Pigeon. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 1 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Spice_Imperial_Pigeon
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
