The wompoo fruit dove (''Ptilinopus magnificus''), also known as wompoo pigeon, is one of the larger

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 ...

s native to

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torres ...

and eastern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

Taxonomy and systematics

Subspecies

There are generally 7-8 recognised subspecies, although some authorities recognise as few as 5. * ''P. m. magnificus – Temminck, 1827:'' * ''P. m. keri – :'' * ''P. m. alaris – :'' * ''P. m. assimilis – :'' * ''P. m. poliura – :'' * ''P. m. interposita – :'' * ''P. m. septentrionalis – :'' * ''P. m. puella – :''

Description

Ptilinopus magnificus -Dallas Zoo, Texas, USA-8a (1)

This dove measures up to , but are generally far smaller in northern regions. It has purple

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, ...

around its

neck The neck is the part of the body on many vertebrates that connects the head with the torso. The neck supports the weight of the head and protects the nerves that carry sensory and motor information from the brain down to the rest of the body. In ...

chest The thorax or chest is a part of the anatomy of humans, mammals, and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main divisions of the crea ...

and upper

belly Belly may refer to: Anatomy * The abdomen, the part of the body between the pelvis and the thorax; or the stomach ** A beer belly, an overhang of fat above the waist, presumed to be caused by regular beer drinking ** Belly dance * The fleshy, cent ...

. Its lower belly is yellow and it has green underparts. The sexes are similar and the juveniles have a duller and greener plumage compared to adults. Notwithstanding their bright

, they are hard to see amongst the

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' ...

canopy Canopy may refer to: Plants * Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests) * Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes Religion and ceremonies * Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an ...

, thanks to their unobtrusive, quiet habits. Their call sounds like ''wollack-wa-hoo'' and often sounds very human.

Behaviour

Food

The wompoo fruit dove can be seen in large flocks where food is abundant. The birds feed off fruit-bearing trees in rainforests such as

fig The fig is the edible fruit of ''Ficus carica'', a species of small tree in the flowering plant family Moraceae. Native to the Mediterranean and western Asia, it has been cultivated since ancient times and is now widely grown throughout the world ...

s. They also occasionally eat insects. They can eat large

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in partic ...

s whole and are able to acrobatically collect fruit of trees and

vine A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themsel ...

s. They do not like to travel long distances, preferring to stay in their local area and make use of whatever fruit are in season. The diet of this species was extensively studied in the

Port Moresby (; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New ...

area by Frith ''et al.'' (1976). Despite their small size, they are able to swallow fruits of volume, which would translate into a diameter of about in spherical fruit. Major food items included: *

s, particularly ''

Ficus macrophylla ''Ficus macrophylla'', commonly known as the Moreton Bay fig or Australian banyan, is a large evergreen banyan tree of the family Moraceae native to eastern Australia, from the Wide Bay–Burnett region in the north to the Illawarra in New ...

'', including ''

Ficus albipila ''Ficus albipila'', the abbey tree, is a species of flowering plant in the family Moraceae, native to India, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, the Lesser Sunda Islands, New Guinea, and Queensland ...

'', ''

Ficus benjamina ''Ficus benjamina'', commonly known as weeping fig, benjamin fig or ficus tree, and often sold in stores as just ficus, is a species of flowering plant in the family Moraceae, native to Asia and Australia. It is the official tree of Bangkok. The ...

'', ''

Ficus drupacea ''Ficus drupacea'', also known as the brown-woolly fig or Mysore fig, is a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia and Northeast Australia (it has been introduced into the New World tropics, including Puerto Rico). It is a strangler fig; it begin ...

'', ''

Ficus glaberrima ''Ficus glaberrima'' is an Asian species of fig tree in the family Moraceae. The native range of this species is India, S. China and tropical Asia: Indo-China to the Lesser Sunda Islands (but not Borneo, Sulawesi or the Philippines). The spec ...

'', ''

Ficus virens ''Ficus virens'' is a plant of the genus ''Ficus'' found in Pakistan, India, southeast Asia, through Malaysia and into Northern Australia. Its common name is white fig; it is locally known as ''pilkhan'' and in the Kunwinjku language it is calle ...

'' and '' Ficus wassa'' - preferentially in the late dry and wet season (October - March) * Fruit of cinnamon trees (''

Cinnamomum ''Cinnamomum'' is a genus of evergreen aromatic trees and shrubs belonging to the laurel family, Lauraceae. The species of ''Cinnamomum'' have aromatic oils in their leaves and bark. The genus contains approximately 250 species, distributed in ...

'' sp.), ''

Litsea ''Litsea'' is a genus of evergreen or deciduous trees or shrubs belonging to the laurel family, Lauraceae. The genus includes a large number of accepted species in tropical and subtropical areas of North America and Asia. Characteristics They a ...

'', ''

Neolitsea ''Neolitsea'' is a genus of about 85 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the laurel family Lauraceae. They range from Indo-Malaysia to East Asia to Australia. The leaves are alternate, clustered, or verticillate, rarely subopposite. Sp ...

'' and ''

Cryptocarya ''Cryptocarya'' is a genus of evergreen trees belonging to the laurel family, Lauraceae. The genus includes more than 350 species, distributed through the Neotropical, Afrotropical, Indomalayan, and Australasian realms. Overview The genus incl ...

'' - whenever available *

Arecaceae The Arecaceae is a family of perennial flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly known as palms. Those having a tree-like form are called palm trees ...

(palm) fruit, including ''

Archontophoenix ''Archontophoenix'' is a plant genus comprising six palm species that are native to New South Wales and Queensland in eastern Australia. They are tall, slender and unbranched. Relationships between ''Archontophoenix'' and the other genera of subt ...

'', ''

Arenga ''Arenga'' is a genus of palms, native to Southeast Asia, southern China, New Guinea, and northern Australia. They are small to medium-sized palms, growing to 2–20 m tall, with pinnate leaves 2–12 m long. Arenga palms can grow in areas w ...

'', ''

Calamus Calamus may refer to: Botany and zoology * ''Calamus'' (fish), a genus of fish in the family Sparidae * ''Calamus'' (palm), a genus of rattan palms * Calamus, the hollow shaft of a feather, also known as the quill * '' Acorus calamus'', the swe ...

'' and ''

Caryota ''Caryota'' is a genus of palm trees. They are often known as fishtail palms because of the shape of their leaves. There are about 13 species native to Asia ( China, India, Indonesia, etc.), northern Australia, and the South Pacific. One of ...

'' - mid-late dry season (August - October) and January *

Annonaceae The Annonaceae are a family of flowering plants consisting of trees, shrubs, or rarely lianas commonly known as the custard apple family or soursop family. With 108 accepted genera and about 2400 known species, it is the largest family in the Ma ...

fruit, such as

Ylang-ylang ''Cananga odorata'', known as ylang-ylang ( ) or cananga tree, is a tropical tree that is native to the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Queensland, Australia. It is also native to parts of Thailand and Viet ...

(''Cananga odorata'') and ''

Polyalthia ''Polyalthia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Annonaceae. There are approximately 90 species distributed from Africa to Asia and the Pacific.

'' - whenever available Food items of minor importance were fruit of: * ''

Eugenia ''Eugenia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. It has a worldwide, although highly uneven, distribution in tropical and subtropical regions. The bulk of the approximately 1,100 species occur in the New World tropics, ...

'', ''

Syzygium ''Syzygium'' () is a genus of flowering plants that belongs to the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. The genus comprises about 1200 species, and has a native range that extends from Africa and Madagascar through southern Asia east through the Pacific. ...

'', ''

Acmena ''Acmena'' was formerly the name of a genus of shrubs and trees in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. The genus was first formally described in 1828 by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle in his '' Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis''. The spec ...

'' - important in May * ''

Hypserpa ''Hypserpa'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Menispermaceae. Its native range is Tropical and Subtropical Asia and the Western Pacific. Species: *''Hypserpa ademae'' *''Hypserpa calcicola'' *''Hypserpa decumbens'' *' ...

'' - important in July/August * ''

Planchonella ''Planchonella'' is a genus of flowering trees in the gutta-percha family, Sapotaceae. Named in honour of Jules Émile Planchon, it contains around 100 mainly tropical species, two of which occur in South America and about 18 in Australasia. It w ...

'' - important August - October * ''

Elaeocarpus ''Elaeocarpus'' is a genus of nearly five hundred species of flowering plants in the family Elaeocarpaceae native to the Western Indian Ocean, Tropical and Subtropical Asia, and the Pacific. Plants in the genus ''Elaeocarpus'' are trees or shrub ...

'' - important in October * '' Erythroxylon scarinatum'' - important in November/December * ''

Tinospora smilacina ''Tinospora smilacina'' is a woody vine in the Menispermaceae family. It was first described by George Bentham in 1861. The Walmajarri The Walmadjari (Walmajarri) people, also known as Tjiwaling and Wanaseka, are an Aboriginal Australian pe ...

'', ''

Glochidion ''Glochidion'' is a genus of flowering plants, of the family Phyllanthaceae, known as cheese trees or buttonwood in Australia, and leafflower trees in the scientific literature. It comprises about 300 species, distributed from Madagascar to the P ...

'', '' Gomphandra australiana'', ''

Gomphandra montana ''Gomphandra'' is a genus of plant in family Stemonuraceae. The genus contains over 40 different species. They are dioecious trees or shrubs.Barlow, B.A. (1984) in George, A.S. (edFlora of Australia. Volume 22. Rhizophorales to Celastrales Common ...

'', ''

Cayratia The genus ''Cayratia'' consists of species of vine plants, typical of the tribe Cayratieae. Some of them are useful, and they are found in tropical and subtropical areas of Asia, Africa, Australia, and islands of the Pacific Ocean. Within the V ...

'', ''

Cissus ''Cissus'' is a genus of approximately 350 species of lianas ( woody vines) in the grape family (Vitaceae). They have a cosmopolitan distribution, though the majority are to be found in the tropics. Uses Medicinal ''Cissus quadrangularis'' ha ...

'', '' Terminalia'', ''

Diospyros ''Diospyros'' is a genus of over 700 species of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs. The majority are native to the tropics, with only a few species extending into temperate regions. Individual species valued for their hard, heavy, dark tim ...

'', ''

Chionanthus ''Chionanthus'' , common name: fringetrees, is a genus of about 150 species of flowering plants in the family Oleaceae. The genus has a wide distribution primarily in the tropics and subtropics, but with three species extending north into te ...

'', ''

Vitex cofassus ''Vitex cofassus'' is a species of woody plant in the family Lamiaceae. Native to New Guinea and the Southwest Pacific islands, "New Guinea teak" is planted for its hardwood, used in construction, in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. It ...

'', ''

Alocasia ''Alocasia'' is a genus of rhizomatous or tuberous, broad-leaved, perennial, flowering plants from the family Araceae. There are about 90 accepted species native to tropical and subtropical Asia and eastern Australia. Around the world, many gr ...

'', and '' Psychotria'' - taken as available

Breeding

Breeding times will vary according to weather conditions. The

nest A nest is a structure built for certain animals to hold eggs or young. Although nests are most closely associated with birds, members of all classes of vertebrates and some invertebrates construct nests. They may be composed of organic materi ...

is sturdily constructed from forked twigs not high from the ground. Both sexes help in the construction of the nest. One white egg is laid and the parents share the incubation and care of the chick. In the event that the chick dies, the doves will attempt to have a second offspring in the same season.

Conservation

Widespread and common throughout its large range, the wompoo fruit dove is evaluated as Least Concern 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 biolo ...

of Threatened Species.

References

External links

* * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q239801

wompoo fruit dove The wompoo fruit dove (''Ptilinopus magnificus''), also known as wompoo pigeon, is one of the larger fruit doves native to New Guinea and eastern Australia. Taxonomy and systematics Subspecies There are generally 7-8 recognised subspecies, ...

Birds of New Guinea Birds of Queensland

Articles containing video clips Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN