Photo © by Joseph Morlan
Maur Village, East Sepik, Papua New Guinea,
13 September 2019
Photo © by Joseph Morlan
Pulau Gam Islets, Papua Barat, Papua, Indonesia, 18 November 2023
- Ducula pinon
Identification
Length 44-48 cm (17¼-19 in) Very large pigeon.
Adult
- Body gray tinged lavender
- Wings and tail darker
- Belly and undertail coverts deep maroon.
- Scapulars black forming dark "V"
- Tail dark with white central band
- Eyes and orbital skin vivid red framed white
- Bill dark with pale tip
- Feet and legs dark red
Sexes alike. Juvenile is similar to adult but paler.
Similar Species
Collared Imperial Pigeon has similar tail pattern, but very different black and white head pattern.
Variations
Nominate race has wings solidly dark. Race D. p. jobiensis has wing coverts scaled whitish. Race D. i. salvadorii is like nominate but entire head is pale pink.
Distribution
Indonesia and Papua New Guinea
Taxonomy
Some authors split D. p. salvadorii as a separate species, "Louisiade Imperial-pigeon."[2][3]
Subspecies
There are 3 subspecies[1]:
- D. p. pinon:
- West Papuan Islands, Aru Islands, and from Bird's Head east across southern New Guinea to lowlands south of the Huon Gulf, intergrades with jobiensis around Bird's Neck in the west, and on the Southeastern Peninsula.
- D. p. jobiensis:
- Yapen Island, and northern New Guinea east to the Huon Gulf and offshore islands, intergrades with pinon around Bird's Neck in the west, and on the Southeastern Peninsula
- D. p. salvadorii:
- D'Entrecasteaux and Louisiade archipelagos
Habitat
Subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
Behaviour
Diet
Feeds on a variety of fruits and berries, typically larger ones. Usually forages in the canopy.
Breeding
Clutch is one white egg. Nest is a twig platform situated high in the canopy
Vocalisation
Loud booming notes, also softer three-note cooing.
Movements
Resident, but somewhat nomadic in search of food sources.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Baptista, L.F., Trail, P.W., Horblit, H.M., Kirwan, G.M. & Garcia, E.F.J. (2019). Pinon's Imperial-pigeon (Ducula pinon). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/54390 on 31 October 2019).
- Gregory, P. (2017) Birds of New Guinea, Including Bismarck Archipelago and Boughainville. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Pinon's Imperial Pigeon. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 2 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Pinon%27s_Imperial_Pigeon
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
