Papuan mountain pigeon

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Papuan mountain pigeon
Pigeon having whitish breast, greyish body, and reddish face perching on branch

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Columbiformes
Family: Columbidae
Genus: Gymnophaps
Species:
G. albertisii
Binomial name
Gymnophaps albertisii
Salvadori, 1874
Map of New Guinea, with green shading indicating that the species occurs in a horizontal band across the island
Synonyms
  • Columba albertisii exsul Hartert, 1903

The Papuan mountain pigeon (Gymnophaps albertisii) is a

montane forest, and lowlands. It is a medium-sized species of pigeon, being 33–36 cm (13–14 in) long and weighing 259 g (9.1 oz) on average. Adult males have slate-grey upperparts, chestnut-maroon throats and bellies, whitish breasts, and a pale grey terminal tail band. The lores and orbital region
are bright red. Females are similar, but have grayish breasts and grey edges to the throat feathers.

The Papuan mountain pigeon is

drupes. It breeds from October to March in the Schrader Range, but may breed throughout the year across its range. It builds nests out of sticks and twigs in a tree or makes a ground nest in short dry grass, and lays a single egg. The species is very social and is usually seen in flocks of 10–40 birds, although some groups can have as many as 80 individuals. It is listed as being of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on the IUCN Red List
due to its large range and lack of significant population decline.

Taxonomy and systematics

The Papuan mountain pigeon was

Patagioenas corensis), and D'Albertis's mountain pigeon.[5][6][7]

The Papuan mountain pigeon is one of four species in the mountain pigeon

Lopholaimus, and these two together form a clade sister to Hemiphaga.[8] The Papuan mountain pigeon has two subspecies:[a][3]

Description

side view of pigeon with greyish upperparts, a whitish breast, and reddish skin near the eye
An individual at the Walsrode Bird Park

The Papuan mountain pigeon is a medium-sized pigeon that is 33–36 cm (13–14 in) long and weighs 259 g (9.1 oz) on average. It has a slender appearance with a long tail and wings. Adult males of the nominate subspecies have head and upperparts slate-grey, with chestnut-maroon throats and bellies, whitish breasts, and grey undertail coverts. There is a pale grey terminal band on the tail. The lores and orbital region are bright red, while the bill is pink with a reddish base. The feet are purplish to pinkish-red. Females may have greyish breasts and grey edges to the throat feathers. Juveniles are duller, with dull brown or grey breasts, pale rufous underparts, and chestnut foreheads.[6][9]

Pinon's imperial pigeon looks similar to a juvenile Papuan mountain pigeon, but is larger, more heavily built, has a darker bill, and does not have the red of the orbital skin extending to the lores.[6]

Vocalisations

The Papuan mountain pigeon is usually silent, but gives a muted, low-pitched, upslurred wooooooo m or woom during the breeding season. It also makes soft whistles.[6][9]

Distribution and habitat

The Papuan mountain pigeon is found on New Guinea, its surrounding islands, and the Bacan Islands. It is mainly found in

montane forest at elevations of 900–1,500 m (3,000–4,900 ft). A dead Papuan mountain pigeon was found at an elevation of 4,450 m (14,600 ft) on the Carstensz Glacier, and is thought to have been crossing the New Guinea Highlands.[6][9]

The Papuan mountain pigeon is thought to be partially migratory, with large flocks in the Schrader Range descending to visit beech forests during the rainy season from October to March. It also moves to lower altitudes while foraging.[6][9]

Behaviour and ecology

The Papuan mountain pigeon is a highly social species, occurring in flocks that usually contain 10–40 birds and that can sometimes have up to 80 individuals. It is also less commonly seen singly or in pairs. Individuals usually roost at high elevations, and then descend to lower elevations in flocks in the morning. While doing so, they can drop hundreds of metres in a single dive, producing a loud whooshing sound that is distinctive of Gymnophaps pigeons. While leaving the roost, flocks fly just above the treetops, but begin flying higher when crossing lowlands, sometimes flying high enough to be barely visible to the naked eye.[6][9]

Diet

A pigeon with greyish upperparts at a bowl of fruits
Papuan mountain pigeon feeding

The Papuan mountain pigeon is

frugivorous, and feeds on fruit such as figs and drupes from Planchonella, Ascarina philippinensis, and Cryptocarpa tessalata.[6] It has also been observed feeding on the fruits of Elmerrillia tsiampaca, and may be an important seed disperser for that species.[11] The species prefers fruit with larger seeds, with Lauraceae forming an important part of its diet, and will fly long distances during the fruiting seasons of particular plants.[12] Foraging occurs in the canopy, and the species has been observed drinking from roadside puddles.[6][9] It has also been observed eating soil.[13]

Breeding

From July to December, as well as in April, male Papuan mountain pigeons have been observed performing display flights. One or two males consort with a female from an open perch overlooking a steep drop, after which one male launches himself and dives down before suddenly rising 25–30 m (82–98 ft) above the forest canopy with rapid wingbeats. The male then stalls at the top of this rise and plummets again before returning to his perch. This is repeated periodically, with both males taking turns to display to the female. The display has only been recorded in the early morning and late afternoon.[6]

The Papuan mountain pigeon breeds from October to March in the Schrader Range, but a juvenile and an adult male with enlarged testicles have been collected in June elsewhere, suggesting that the species may breed throughout the year across its range. Nesting is thought to be partially colonial. Early in the wet season, the species nests in low, sheltered areas, but nests in higher, more exposed areas towards the end. The nest is usually a platform of sticks and twigs built on a small tree at a height of 3.7–5 m (12–16 ft), but may be placed higher. A ground nest built in a depression in short dry grass has also been observed above the tree line. It lays a single white egg.[6][9][14]

Parasites and predators

A 2021 study examining specimens of the Papuan mountain pigeon for the presence of

feather louse Columbicola galei in New Guinea.[16] The pygmy eagle is a possible predator.[17]

Status

The Papuan mountain pigeon is listed as being of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on the IUCN Red List due to its large range and lack of significant population decline. The population of the species has not been determined, but is thought to be stable.[1] It is widely distributed and common on New Guinea, although local populations can vary widely. It is generally uncommon on New Britain and New Ireland, but is apparently very common in lowland forest and secondary forest on the former. The subspecies exsul from Bacan is thought to be uncommon, and its current status is unknown.[6][9] It is locally hunted in New Guinea.[13]

Explanatory notes

  1. ^ A binominal authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Gymnophaps.

References

  1. ^
    doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22691850A93326139.en
    . Retrieved 2021-11-11.
  2. ^ Salvadori, Tommaso (1874). "Altre nuove specie di uccelli della Nuova Guinea e di Goram raccolto dal Signor L. M. L'Albertis" [Other new species of birds of New Guinea and of Goram collected by Mr. L. M. L'Albertis]. Annali del Museo civico di storia naturale di Genova (in Italian). Vol. 6. Genoa: Tip. del R. Istituto Sordo-Muti. pp. 86–87. Archived from the original on 2021-11-08. Retrieved 2021-11-08 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  3. ^ a b c d Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela (eds.). "Pigeons". IOC World Bird List. Archived from the original on 2021-10-19. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
  4. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4
    .
  5. ^ "Gymnophaps albertisii (Papuan Mountain-Pigeon)". Avibase. Archived from the original on 2021-10-27. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
  6. ^
    OCLC 701718514
    .
  7. ^
    OCLC 936447561
    .
  8. ISSN 2644-0687. Archived
    from the original on 2021-11-09. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  9. ^
    S2CID 243173287
    . Retrieved 2021-11-08.
  10. ^ Hartert, Ernst (1903-04-20). "The Birds of Batjan". Novitates Zoologicae. X (2): 60. Retrieved 2022-05-30 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  11. S2CID 59405259. Archived
    from the original on 2021-11-09. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  12. S2CID 83564114. Archived
    from the original on 2022-02-10. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  13. ^
    ISSN 1474-919X. Archived
    from the original on 2021-11-09. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  14. ISSN 0158-4197. Archived
    from the original on 2022-02-10. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  15. PMID 34944169
    .
  16. S2CID 42031784. Archived
    from the original on 2022-02-10. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  17. ISSN 1448-0107. Archived
    from the original on 2021-11-09. Retrieved 2022-02-10.

External links
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Papuan_mountain_pigeon&oldid=1193760130"