Alternative names: Marquesas Fruit-Dove; Northern Marquesan Fruit-Dove; Marquesan Fruit-Dove
- Ptilinopus dupetithouarsii
Identification
20 cm.
- Yellowish olive-green mantle, back, rump and wing-coverts
- White forehead and crown patch, bordered by a narrow orange and yellow line
- Short greyish white malar patch
- Silvery grey nape and neck
- Silvery breast patch, bifurcated feathers with yellowish green bases
- Orange belly patch
- Bright yellow undertail-coverts
- Dark green tail with broad yellowish white terminal band
- Greenish bill
- Pinkish purple to red legs
- viridior have grey areas more suffused with greenish yellow, green parts are more tinged with yellow, the cap cream-coloured
Females are similar but duller. Juveniles are duller and greener, with an obscure grey, green edged cap and yellow fringes.
Distribution
Endemic to the Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia.
Common to abundant on most islands in range, probably not on Hivaoa, where introduced Great Horned Owl has reduced the population of many native birds.
Taxonomy
Two subspecies recognized:
- P. d. viridior on the northern Marquesas Islands (Nukuhiva, Uahuka and Uapou)
- P. d. dupetithouarsii on the southern Marquesas Islands (Hivaoa, Tahuata, Mohotani and Fatuhiva)
Habitat
Found in a variety of habitats, including different forest types. Occurs at all evelations.
Usually in the canopy.
Behaviour
Diet
A frugivorous species, favours figs of banyan trees.
Reported to fed insects to the young.
Breeding
Recently fledged juveniles have been recorded all year except in September. The nest is a platform of twigs placed in trees and bushes, 3 to 20 m above the ground. Lays 1 egg.
Movements
Probably a sedentary species, flies often long distances over valleys on the larger islands.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, B.L. Sullivan, C. L. Wood, and D. Roberson. 2013. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.8., with updates to August 2013. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrived March 2014)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) White-capped Fruit Dove. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 4 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/White-capped_Fruit_Dove
