The Banggai fruit dove (''Ptilinopus subgularis''), also called maroon-chinned fruit dove 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 lightweig ...

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

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to the

Banggai Islands The Banggai Archipelago ( id, Kepulauan Banggai) is a group of islands, which are located at the far eastern end of Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. It makes up a regency (''kabupaten'') of Central Sulawesi Province of Indonesia, created in 1999 by spl ...

. Its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

is subtropical or tropical moist lowland

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

s. It is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

Description

The Banggai Fruit Dove, or Ptilinopus subgularis, is a large gray and green dove that lives in the

. It is also a species in the bird family

. The bird’s upperparts are forest green like and the bottom fades to a pale gray. It also features a deep red vent on the side, a small maroon chin, and a maroon base accented by the yellow beak. The fruit dove’s chest is also buff and flares out slightly. The legs and feet of the bird can range from red to purple-red. There are few differences between the male and female birds, but the females tend to have more green on their necks.

Conservation status

The Banggai Fruit Dove is threatened by

and is on the

endangered species list On 29 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 5220 (2754 animals, 1 fungus, 2464 plant, 1 protist) endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations. For IUCN lists of endangered species by kingd ...

. As of 2014, there are between 2500-9999 birds left standing. There are limited resources that we have on this bird because it is so rare, however, more research is being done to investigate the lifestyle.

Range

Some of the Banggai Fruit Doves have slight variations. They can have various combinations of their color balance. The pale underside is more magnified in some and not as much in others. However, the maroon colored chin and maroon based yellow beaks are distinguishing factors. These attributes are more limited in range of qualities. In terms of location, the bird is found in select locations in the Indonesian islands, specifically the Banggai Islands.

Taxonomy

Prior to 2014, ''Ramphiculus subgularis'' or ''Ptilinopus subgularis'' was known as the Maroon-chinned fruit dove, and also encompassed what is now Oberholser's fruit dove ''(Ptilinopus epia)'' and the Sula fruit dove ''(Ptilinopus mangoliensis)'', following Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993).

Ecology

The

ecology Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overl ...

of the Banggai Fruit Dove examines how the bird interacts with its surroundings. Vocalization: The song of the Banggai Fruit Dove is known and recognized as a long series of “whoop” notes. There are typically around 20 notes in the series and the call will last for 2.7 seconds. It may be shorter or longer, but when broken down that comes to 0.07 seconds per note. Diet: The bird is recognized for taking fruits off of branches of trees to gain nutrition and they use their strong beak to crack open hard-shelled fruits. Habitat: Banggai Fruit Doves are

arboreal Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally, but others are exclusively arboreal. The habitats pose nu ...

, meaning that they live exclusively in the trees. Because the species is so rare, there is not much information on how they form their shelter. However, a basic platform nest was sited in early May. The nest was a platform consisting of small branches that are found in the montane forest.

Montane ecosystems Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

are characterized to be located on the sides of mountains with a correlation between climate and elevation.

Location

They are found in Indonesia and are natural to the Banggai Islands. The birds mainly thrive in the forest regions. Specifically, the subtropical or tropical moist lowlands. However, this environment is degrading and leaving the Banggai Fruit Dove without a home. The cause of this environmental degradation is mainly subject to

global climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

. The factors of climate change that are having the greatest impact are earthquakes,

droughts A drought is defined as drier than normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, an ...

volcanic eruptions Several types of volcanic eruptions—during which lava, tephra (ash, lapilli, volcanic bombs and volcanic blocks), and assorted gases are expelled from a volcanic vent or fissure—have been distinguished by volcanologists. These are often ...

, and

mudslides A mudflow or mud flow is a form of mass wasting involving fast-moving flow of debris that has become liquified by the addition of water. Such flows can move at speeds ranging from 3 meters/minute to 5 meters/second. Mudflows contain a significa ...

References

Banggai fruit dove Endemic birds of Sulawesi Banggai fruit dove {{Columbiformes-stub