The dwarf fruit dove (''Ptilinopus nainus'') is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

in the family

Columbidae Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...

. It is found in lowland and

foothill Foothills or piedmont are geographically defined as gradual increases in elevation at the base of a mountain range, higher hill range or an upland area. They are a transition zone between plains and low relief hills and the adjacent topograp ...

forest in

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

and the

Raja Ampat Islands Raja Ampat, or the ''Four Kings'', is an archipelago located off the northwest tip of Bird's Head Peninsula on the island of New Guinea, in Indonesia's Southwest Papua province. It comprises over 1,500 small islands, cays, and shoals surrounding ...

.The dwarf fruit dove weighs 49 grams, about equivalent to the weight of two AA batteries This bird is the smallest of the

fruit dove The fruit doves, also known as fruit pigeons, are a genus (''Ptilinopus'') of birds in the pigeon and dove family (Columbidae). These colourful, frugivorous doves are found in forests and woodlands in Southeast Asia and Oceania. It is a large gen ...

genus

Description

With a total length of 13–15 cm (5.1–5.9 in), it is the shortest pigeon or dove in the world, but as it is thickset, several other species weigh less. Its

plumage Plumage ( "feather") is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies and may vary with age classes. Within species, ...

is overall green, but with contrasting yellow undertail-

coverts A covert feather or tectrix on a bird is one of a set of feathers, called coverts (or ''tectrices''), which, as the name implies, cover other feathers. The coverts help to smooth airflow over the wings and tail. Ear coverts The ear coverts are sm ...

, and narrow bars to the wings. Although, the inner wing-coverts and secondaries are more bluish compared to the rest of the body. This bluish-green coloring is most prominent on the scapulars, which are the body feathers that cover the top of the wing when the bird is at rest. The males differ in color and plumage from the female. The males have a dark purple patch on the belly and tend to have a gray patch on both sides of their upper breasts. Both males and females have a yellowish-green beak and purplish-red legs, in addition to a yellow area on their abdomen and undertail coverts. The juvenile fruit doves resemble the colorings of the females, yet they have yellow fringes on most of their plumage. Eventually this yellow fringe will disappear, and the birds will resemble their gender colorings.These fruit doves will often be found in pairs of their own species, and sometimes intermingling with other fruit dove species.

Sounds

Dwarf fruit doves will communicate with each other using a high-pitched, slow, soft, and prolonged up slur. With a one-second pause, the sound is repeated about six times. Their call resembles a “oh-wah” sound.

Habitat

The habitat of the dwarf fruit dove is forests in the lowlands and foothills of New Guinea, excluding northwestern New Guinea and the north coast of southeastern New Guinea. Additionally, they are found in the Raja Ampat islands off the coast of Northwestern New Guinea. They have been most found in hills up to 1100 meters. They can also be found at Varirata National Park in New Guinea.

Population and Movement

The dwarf fruit dove has a stable population, meaning its growth rate and its relative age distribution is not changing over time. Also, it is not globally threatened. It is under the Least Concern category of the IUCN red list. The dwarf fruit dove is scarce, but not rare. The population size is unknown. The movement of the dwarf fruit dove is stationary in Port Moresby, New Guinea but migrant in Tabubil.

Breeding

The dwarf fruit dove's nests have been found in September and November. Nests are found at varying heights in small trees from 3 meters above ground to 12 meters above ground. These nests are built by the female bird using twigs and dead leaves collected by the male.

Diet

90 percent of their diet comes from fruit, whereas the other 10 percent comes from nectar. The dwarf fruit dove can be considered a frugivore and nectarivore. When 8 dwarf fruit doves were captured and monitored, they only ate figs during their captivity.

References

dwarf fruit dove Birds of New Guinea dwarf fruit dove Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Columbiformes-stub