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Superb Fruit-Dove
(Ptilinopus superbus)
: "Purple-crowned Fruit-Dove", "Purple-crowned Pigeon", "Superb Fruit Pigeon"
Size: 22-24 cm
Weight: 110-120 g
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Physical description |
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Click here for a physical description
Superb Fruit-Doves are small, very colourful doves.
Their plumage
is dimorphic,
i.e. males
and females
are different.
Males
have a purple crown and rusty-orange sides and nape of the neck,
with a yellowish-green patch behind the eye. Throat and chest are
grey, with a wide black band across the lower chest and off-white
belly and vent.
Females
have an olive-green to dull purple-blue crown, grey throat
and chest and an off-white belly. The sides of the neck are also
olie-green to yellowish-green, the nape of the neck is green.
The back und uppertail of both sexes are olive-green.
The wings are olive, with dark-grey dorsal spots
and yellow edge lining.
The irises are pale-yellow, with a dark spot towards the bill.
The bill is grey, the legs and feet are reddish-pink.
Juvenile
Superb Fruit-Doves resemble
females,
with a greener cap and more prominent yellow lining of the wing
feathers, which do not yet have dark dorsal spots.
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See Superb
Fruit-Dove at Wikipedia .
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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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 Superb Fruit-Dove is available
HERE
.
There are two races of Superb Fruit-Doves. Together they
populate an area spanning from the islands of eastern
Indonesia, via New Guinea, to parts of eastern Australia.
In Australia, Superb Fruit-Doves populate a narrow strip along the
entire East coast of the continent, from the tip of Cape York
peninsula to the south-eastern tip and several off-shore
islands,
especially along the Torres Strait.
Their preferred habitat is
rainforest,
but they will search for fruit in more open
forest as well.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
M. Mearns reports spotting a Superb Fruit-Dove at
Bunya Mountains NP,
QLD, in December 2015.
M. Eaton reports finding a Superb Fruit-Dove in the Tinchi Tamba
Wetlands, Brisbane, QLD, in May/June 2020.
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Photos |
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ADULT |
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MALE |
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Close-up frontal view of a male Superb Fruit-Dove in captivity
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
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FEMALE |
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Close-up frontal view of a female Superb Fruit-Dove in captivity
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
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PAIR |
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Close-up frontal view of a pair of Superb Fruit-Doves in captivity
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
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IMMATURE/JUVENILE |
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Frontal view of an immature male Superb Fruit-Dove
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Tinchi Tamba Wetlands, Brisbane, QLD, June 2020]
Near-frontal view of an immature male Superb Fruit-Dove
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Tinchi Tamba Wetlands, Brisbane, QLD, June 2020]
Near-lateral view of an immature male Superb Fruit-Dove
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Tinchi Tamba Wetlands, Brisbane, QLD, June 2020]
Near-lateral view of an immature male Superb Fruit-Dove
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Tinchi Tamba Wetlands, Brisbane, QLD, June 2020]
Lateral view of an immature male Superb Fruit-Dove
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Tinchi Tamba Wetlands, Brisbane, QLD, May 2020]
Near-dorsal view of an immature male Superb Fruit-Dove
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Tinchi Tamba Wetlands, Brisbane, QLD, June 2020]
Dorsal view of an immature male Superb Fruit-Dove
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Tinchi Tamba Wetlands, Brisbane, QLD, June 2020]
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Food, Diet |
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All pigeons and doves are strictly vegetarian. Superb Fruit-Doves
are fruit-eaters.
Immature male Superb Fruit-Dove taking a native fig
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Tinchi Tamba Wetlands, Brisbane, QLD, June 2020]
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.