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Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus regina) Alternate name(s): "Rose-crowned Pigeon", "Pink-capped Fruit-Dove", "Swainson's Fruit-Dove" Size: 22-24 cm; wing span: 35-40 cm Body mass: 90-125 g Wing loading [g/cm2]: 0.44-0.47

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 Rose-crowned Fruit-Doves are small, very colourful doves. Their plumage is dimorphic, i.e. males and females are different. Male Rose-crowned Fruit-Doves have a pink cap with orange lining and an otherwise grey head, throat, neck, The chest is grey mottled with green. Belly, vent and undertail coverts are bright orange. The tail has a yellow terminal band. Female Rose-crowned Fruit-Doves also have a pink cap and orange on their belly and vent, but the colours are duller than those of males. Males have a grey hindneck, while that of females is olive-green. The wings of both sexes are green with strong yellow lining. The irises are brown; the bill, legs and feet are grey. Juvenile Rose-crowned Fruit-Doves are mostly mottled yellowish-green, with a light yellow belly and vent. They do not have a pink cap yet.

Taxonomy, classification See Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove at Wikipedia .

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 Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove is available HERE . Rose-crowned Fruit-Doves are found in an area ranging from islands in eastern Indonesia, via Timor Leste to southern New Guinea and parts of Australia. There are two races of Rose-crowned Fruit-Doves in Australia, both of which are endemic. They are found along a narrow coastal strip along parts of the Australian continent and some offshore islands. Nominate race "regina" populates the tropical and subtropical East coast of Australia, ranging from most of the tip of Cape York peninsula, via the QLD coastline South of Cape Melville, into northern NSW (up to about the estuary of the Hunter River). Apart from this, there is a population of Rose-crowned Fruit-Doves in the north-eastern corner of Tasmania and there are a few reports from the southern part of VIC. Race "ewingii" is found along parts of the tropical North coast of the NT and WA, ranging from about the southern coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria in the East to roughly Broome, WA, in the West. Rose-crowned Fruit-Doves have a preference for rainforest, monsoon forest, mangrove, vine groves and fruit trees.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "regina" A juvenile Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove, race "regina", appeared 20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, only once (in March 2005), well outside its usual range. A Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove, race "regina", was spotted by C. Charles at Bli Bli, Sunshine Coast, QLD, in February 2012. We spotted a Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove, race "regina", on the edge of Deriah Aboriginal Area, 30 km East of Narrabri, NSW, on the western side of the Great Dividing Range, in October 2015. M. Mearns reports spotting Rose-crowned Fruit-Doves, race "regina", at Bunya Mountains NP, QLD, in December 2015. In March 2016 they were found again in the same location and also in Ravensbourne NP, QLD. M. Eaton reports spotting Rose-crowned Fruit-Doves, race "regina", at Pullenvale Forest Reserve, near Anstead, QLD, in April 2017, and another at Moggill Regional Park, near Anstead, QLD, in May 2019. Another pair was found at Tannum Sands, Gladstone, QLD, in June 2021. Race "ewingii" B. Hensen reports spotting a Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove, race "ewingii", at Fogg Dam NR, NT, in August 2013. H. Mouritsen spotted another one at the same location in October 2015. B. Hensen also found Rose-crowned Fruit-Doves, race "ewingii", at Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, in July 2014, and again in July 2019. P. Brown spotted Rose-crowned Fruit-Doves, race "ewingii", at Holmes Jungle NP, Darwin, NT, in February 2018, and near Lee Point, Darwin, NT, in June 2018.

Photos

Race "regina"

ADULT

Many bird species exhibit sexual dimorphism, i.e., male and female have differing appearances which can be quite subtle.
Male Rose-crowned Fruit-Doves, left, have a grey hindneck while that of females is olive-green. There is a second, subtle distinguishing criterium: The back side of the male's lilac cap, with its yellow/orange fringe, ends in a vertical line above the eye; the female's extends further back at its peak, with the border line going upwards and backwards from the eye.

MALE

Spectacular frontal view of a male Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove gobbling up a fruit (photo courtesy of C. Charles)
[Bli Bli, QLD, February 2012]

Frontal/ventral view of a male Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Esplanade, Cairns, QLD, October 2024]

Frontal/ventral view of a male Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove issuing its call (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Esplanade, Cairns, QLD, October 2024]

Frontal/ventral view of a male Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Esplanade, Cairns, QLD, October 2024]

Near-frontal view of a male Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove; note the grey hindneck (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pullenvale Forest Reserve, near Anstead, QLD, April 2017]

Close-up near-lateral/ventral view of a male Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Esplanade, Cairns, QLD, September 2020]

Close-up near-lateral/ventral view of a male Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove issuing its call
(photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Esplanade, Cairns, QLD, September 2020]

Near-lateral/ventral view of a male(?) Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Tannum Sands, Gladstone, QLD, June 2021]

FEMALE

Lateral view of a female(?) Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Moggill Regional Park, near Anstead, QLD, May 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a female Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove; note the greenish hue on the hindneck (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Tannum Sands, Gladstone, QLD, June 2021]

Sex unknown

Ventral view of a Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Brookfield, Brisbane, QLD, December 2017]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Frontal/ventral view of a juvenile Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove (photo courtesy B. Hensen)
[Eastlakes Golf Course, Sydney, NSW, December 2017]

Lateral/ventral view of a juvenile Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove (photo courtesy B. Hensen)
[Eastlakes Golf Course, Sydney, NSW, December 2017]

Lateral/ventral view of a juvenile Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove looking backwards (photo courtesy B. Hensen)
[Eastlakes Golf Course, Sydney, NSW, December 2017]

Very unfortunate ventral view (classical "bum shot") of a (most likely immature) Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove roosting in a tree found serendipitously during a spot-lighting expedition
[Deriah Aboriginal Area, near Narrabri, NSW, October 2015]

Race "ewingii"

ADULT

MALE

Frontal view of a male Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Darwin, NT, July 2019]

Frontal/ventral view of a male Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Fogg Dam NR, NT, August 2013]

Near-frontal view of a male Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Holmes Junge Nature Park, Darwin, NT, July 2020]

Near-frontal view of a male Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Near Lee Point, Darwin, NT, June 2018]

Pair of Rose-crowned Fruit-Doves; female on the left, male partly hidden on the right
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Near Lee Point, Darwin, NT, June 2018]

FEMALE

Lateral view of a female Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Near Lee Point, Darwin, NT, June 2018]

Lateral view of a female Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, July 2014]

Dorsal view of a Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Fogg Dam NR, NT, August 2013]

Sex unknown

Dorsal view of a Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove; note how when seen at this angle none of the colourful features of this species are visible and the sex cannot be determined (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Holmes Jungle Nature Park, Darwin, NT, February 2018]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Male Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove, left, with a juvenile bird (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Near Lee Point, Darwin, NT, June 2018]

Lateral view of a juvenile Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, July 2014]

Lateral view of a juvenile Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Near Lee Point, Darwin, NT, June 2018]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Aug - Feb

Eggs: 1

Incubation period: ca. 12(?) days

Fledging age: 11 - 12 days

The duration of the breeding season depends on geographical latitude.

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Rudimentary basket

Material: Sticks, twigs

Height above ground: ?

Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove on its nest (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, November 2020]

Look from below at/through a Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove nest (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, November 2020]

The nestling shown in the photos below did not have flight yet and must have fallen out of the (flimsy stick) nest. The parents did not give up on the youngster and tended to it on a branch less than 2 metres off the ground.

Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove protecting its nestling, which must have fallen out of the nest (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pullenvale Forest Reserve, near Anstead, QLD, April 2017]

Frontal view of a Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove nestling (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pullenvale Forest Reserve, near Anstead, QLD, April 2017]

Lateral view of a Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove nestling (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pullenvale Forest Reserve, near Anstead, QLD, April 2017]

Dorsal view of a Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove nestling (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pullenvale Forest Reserve, near Anstead, QLD, April 2017]

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 32 x 21 mm

Colour: Glossy white

Shape: Elliptical

Behaviour

Social behaviour: ?

Mobility: Sedentary/dispersive

Elementary unit: Solitary/pair

Food, Diet

All pigeons and doves are strictly vegetarian. Rose-crowned Fruit-Doves are fruit-eaters.

Spectacular frontal view of a Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove gobbling up a fruit (photo courtesy of C. Charles)
[Bli Bli, QLD, February 2012]

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.

rcfdove_20160312.m4a	regina (SE QLD)	Contact call(?)	© MD
rcfdove_20160312_2.m4a	regina (SE QLD)	Contact call(?)	© MD
rcfdove_20160312_3.m4a	regina (SE QLD)	Contact call(?)	© MD
rcfdove_me_20200927.m4a	regina (N QLD)	Contact call(?) (+ Little Shrike-thrush)	© ME
rcfdove_20160314.m4a	regina (SE QLD)	?	© MD
rcfdove_20160314_2.m4a	regina (SE QLD)	?	© MD
rcfdove_20160314_2_NR.m4a	regina (SE QLD)	? (no bkgd)	© MD

More Rose-crowned Fruit-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.

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