The Mariana fruit dove (''Ptilinopus roseicapilla''), also known as in the

Carolinian language Carolinian is an Austronesian language originating in the Caroline Islands, but spoken in the Northern Mariana Islands. It is an official language (as well as English) of the Carolinian people. Carolinian is a threatened language according to t ...

, ''totot'' on Guam or ''Paluman totut'' in

Northern Marianas Islands The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI; ch, Sankattan Siha Na Islas Mariånas; cal, Commonwealth Téél Falúw kka Efáng llól Marianas), is an unincorporated territory and commonwea ...

, is a small, up to 24 cm long, green fruit dove native and

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 ...

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

and the

in the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...

. It has a red forehead; greyish head, back and breast; and yellow belly patch and undertail coverts. The female lays a single white egg. The chick and egg are tended to by both parents. Its diet consists mainly of fruits. Culturally, the Mariana fruit dove is a very important symbol of the region. This species is the official bird of the Northern Marianas Island

In 2005, the Mariana fruit dove was originally chosen as the official mascot of the

2006 Micronesian Games The 6th Micronesian Games were held on Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands from June 23-July 2, 2006. The Games featured competition in 15 different sports/disciplines. In February 2006, the Games were canceled by the Governor of the Northern Maria ...

in Saipanbr>
However, the official website for the games shows a

tropicbird Tropicbirds are a family, Phaethontidae, of tropical pelagic seabirds. They are the sole living representatives of the order Phaethontiformes. For many years they were considered part of the Pelecaniformes, but genetics indicates they are most cl ...

as the official symbol instead of the Mariana fruit dov

The species faces

extinction Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

due to

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 ...

throughout its range. A larger threat to the Mariana fruit dove has been the accidental

introduction Introduction, The Introduction, Intro, or The Intro may refer to: General use * Introduction (music), an opening section of a piece of music * Introduction (writing), a beginning section to a book, article or essay which states its purpose and g ...

of the

brown tree snake The brown tree snake (''Boiga irregularis''), also known as the brown catsnake, is an arboreal rear-fanged colubrid snake native to eastern and northern coastal Australia, eastern Indonesia (Sulawesi to Papua), Papua New Guinea, and many islands ...

to Guam during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. The snakes decimated the native bird populations of the island, which were unaccustomed to predators. They are extinct on Guam since 1984 and the Mariana fruit dove is highly endangered on other islands in its range. The spread of the snakes to the Northern Marianas Islands could be devastating. Several zoos have started captive breeding programs. The St. Louis Zoo, in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, has one of the most successful captive breeding programs. The program began in 199

Due to ongoing habitat loss, limited range, small population size and invasive alien species, the Mariana fruit dove is evaluated as near threatened on the

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...

of Threatened Species.

Gallery

Image:Stavenn Ptilinopus roseicapilla 01.jpg, At Bronx Zoo Image:Mariana Fruit-dove2.jpg, At Louisville Zoo

References

External links

BirdLife Species Factsheet

Marianas Fruit Dove Chosen Micronesian Games Mascot
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1265154 Mariana fruit dove Birds of Guam Birds of the Northern Mariana Islands Birds described in 1831, Mariana fruit dove Taxa named by René Lesson