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Pacific Emerald Dove (Chalcophaps longirostris) Alternate name(s): "Brown-capped Emerald Dove", "Emerald Dove", "Emerald Pigeon", "Emerald Ground-Dove", "Green Dove", "Green-winged Pigeon", "Little Green Pigeon" Aboriginal name(s): Race "rogersi": "gurrbum" [ngadjon]; "punkaree" Size: 23-27 cm; wing span: 40-46 cm Body mass: 90-170 g Wing loading [g/cm2]: 0.45-0.55

Australia: Family Group 11 Family Group 11 Table White-headed Pigeon Pied Imperial Pigeon Topknot Pigeon Crested Pigeon Spinifex Pigeon Flock Bronzewing Common Bronzewing Brush Bronzewing Squatter Pigeon Partridge Pigeon White-quilled Rock-Pigeon Chestnut-quilled Rock-Pigeon Black-Banded Fruit-Dove Wompoo Fruit-Dove Superb Fruit Dove Rose-crowned Fruit Dove Pacific Emerald Dove Nicobar Pigeon Brown Cuckoo-Dove Wonga Pigeon Peaceful Dove Diamond Dove Bar-shouldered Dove Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names Habitat pages Key plants Birds home page

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Pacific Emerald Doves are medium-sized doves. Their plumage is dimorphic, i.e. males and females are slightly different. Male Pacific Emerald Doves have a white shoulder patch, while females have a grey one; otherwise the two sexes look identical. The head, neck, and front (throat, chest, belly) are purplish grey-brown. The body is mauve-brown; the wings are emerald-green and iridescent. The bill is orange, the eye ring brownish and the legs and feet dark-red. The back is barred dark and light grey, the tail is dark-grey. Juveniles are mottled black and brown, except the wings, which are mottled brown and emerald.

Taxonomy, classification See Emerald Dove at Wikipedia . Click here for classification information Pacific Emerald Doves have now been given species status and are no longer considered to be a race of the Grey-capped Emerald Dove, "Chalcophaps indica". Also the definition of the races/subspecies has recently been revised.

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Pacific Emerald Dove is available HERE . There are four extant races of the Pacific Emerald Dove. Their combined range extends from the eastern Lesser Sunda Islands in eastern Indonesia (race "timorensis"), via New Guinea and parts of Australia, including Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island (races "longirostris" and "rogersi"), to Vanuatu, New Caledonia and the Santa Cruz and Banks Islands (race "sandwichensis"). There are two races of Pacific Emerald Doves on the Australian continent. Nominate race "longirostris", which is endemic, occurs along a narrow coastal strip of the NT, including some offshore islands, and in a few spots on the WA North-west coast. They are not found anywhere far inland. Race "rogersi" populates the East coast of the Australian continent, including the Torres Strait, from the tip of Cape York peninsula to about the NSW/VIC border. This race is also found on Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island. Pacific Emerald Doves live in various types of dense forest, from rainforest to mangrove swamps (also on [tropical] offshore islands with dense vegetation). Where to look? How to find this species? Feeding on fallen fruit in dense types of forest, Pacific Emerald Doves are usually easiest to find while foraging on the ground, albeit in most cases in dark areas. In the first instance, one may flush them before being able to find them back in the upper canopy, waiting for the disturbance to go away.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "longirostris" B. Hensen reports spotting Pacific Emerald Doves, race "longirostris", in Darwin, NT, in July 2012. H. Mouritsen reports spotting Pacific Emerald Doves, race "longirostris", in Kakadu NP in October 2015. P. Brown found a Pacific Emerald Dove, race "longirostris", at East Point, Darwin, NT, in January 2019. Race "rogersi" M. Mearns reports spotting an Pacific Emerald Doves, race "rogersi", on Norfolk Island in January 2008. Pacific Emerald Doves, race "rogersi", were observed by C. Kellenberg on Lord Howe Island in July 2010. A pair of Pacific Emerald Doves, race "rogersi", was spotted by us at Iluka NR, NSW, in February 2012. B. Hensen reports spotting Pacific Emerald Doves, race "rogersi", at Rocky Creek, Cairns, QLD, in July 2013. A. Ross-Taylor reports spotting Pacific Emerald Doves, race "rogersi", at O'Reilly's Plateau, Lamington NP, Gold Coast, QLD, in November 2013. M. Eaton reports spotting Pacific Emerald Doves, race "rogersi", at Lake Eacham, Atherton Tablelands, QLD, and Kingfisher Park, Julatten, QLD, in November 2018, and again in June 2024. Others were found in various locations in south-eastern QLD.

Photos

Race "longirostris"

ADULT

MALE

Frontal and lateral view of two male Pacific Emerald Doves; note the white shoulder patches (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Darwin, NT, July 2012]

Lateral view of two male Pacific Emerald Doves; note the large white shoulder patches (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Darwin, NT, July 2012]

FEMALE

Lateral view of a Pacific Emerald Doves - its very grey appearance, without any purple sheen, may indicate that this is a female; note the deformed bill (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[East Point, Darwin, NT, January 2019]

Dorsal view of a Pacific Emerald Dove; when viewed with different contrast settings this photo shows very inconspicuous bars on the rump, indicating that this may be a female (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Darwin, NT, July 2012]

Race "rogersi"

ADULT

MALE

Frontal view of a male Pacific Emerald Dove; note the prominent white shoulder patch (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Kingfisher Park, Julatten, QLD, November 2018]

Near-lateral view of a male Pacific Emerald Dove (photo courtesy of C. Hayne)

Near-lateral view of a male Pacific Emerald Dove (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Eacham, Atherton Tablelands, QLD, November 2018]

Lateral view of a male Pacific Emerald Dove (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Kingfisher Park, Julatten, QLD, November 2018]

Near-dorsal view of a male Pacific Emerald Dove (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Julatten, QLD, June 2024]

FEMALE

Frontal/ventral view of a female Pacific Emerald Dove; note the brown front and head
(photo courtesy of C. Kellenberg)
[Lord Howe Island, July 2010]

Lateral view of a female Pacific Emerald Dove; note the grey shoulder patch (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Rocky Creek, Cairns, QLD, July 2013]

Lateral view of a female Pacific Emerald Dove (photo courtesy of C. Kellenberg)
[Lord Howe Island, July 2010]

Lateral view of a female Pacific Emerald Dove (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Norfolk Island, January 2008]

Near-dorsal view of a female Pacific Emerald Dove (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pullenvale, QLD, November 2023]

Near-dorsal view of a female Pacific Emerald Dove (photo courtesy of C. Kellenberg)
[Lord Howe Island, July 2010]

Dorsal view of a female Pacific Emerald Dove (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pullenvale, QLD, November 2023]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Near-frontal view of a juvenile Pacific Emerald Dove (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[O'Reilly's Plateau, Lamington NP, Gold Coast, QLD, November 2013]

Lateral view of a juvenile Pacific Emerald Dove (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[O'Reilly's Plateau, Lamington NP, Gold Coast, QLD, November 2013]

Lateral view of a juvenile Pacific Emerald Dove spreading its wings (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[O'Reilly's Plateau, Lamington NP, Gold Coast, QLD, November 2013]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: ?

Mobility: Sedentary/dispersive

Elementary unit: Solitary/pair

Pacific Emerald Doves spend a lot of time foraging on the ground.

Food, Diet

All pigeons and doves are strictly vegetarian. Pacific Emerald Doves are seed- and fruit-eaters.

Lateral view of a male Pacific Emerald Dove taking water from a bowl (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Kingfisher Park, Julatten, QLD, November 2018]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

Doves and pigeons do not, like other birds, open their bills when calling, but they rather "hum" through their noses, with the bill closed.

emerdov_pb_20210403.m4a	longirostris (Top End, NT)	Contact calls	© PB
emerdov_me_20240613.m4a	rogersi (Far-N QLD)	Contact calls (+ Magnificent Riflebird, Grey Shrike-thrush)	© ME
brcdove_me_20240613_2_noNR.m4a	rogersi (Far-N QLD)	Contact calls (+ Brown Cuckoo-Dove, others)	© ME
brcdove_me_20240613_2.m4a	rogersi (Far-N QLD)	Contact calls (+ Brown Cuckoo-Dove)	© ME

More Pacific Emerald Dove sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.