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Wompoo Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus magnificus) Alternate name(s): "Magnificent Fruit-pigeon", "Purple-breasted Pigeon", "Plum-breasted Pigeon", "Bubbly Mary", "Bubbly Jock", "Wompoo Pigeon" Aboriginal name(s): "(gidjuhny) mamugany" [bundjalung]; "bagamu" [ngadjon] Size: 35-45 cm; wing span: ca. 60 cm Body mass: 132-538 g Wing loading [g/cm2]: ca. 0.40-0.75

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 Wompoo Fruit-Doves are large, very colourful doves. The front is purple (in a triangular shape narrowing to a tip at the throat). The vent is orange-yellow. The head is white. The back (nape of the neck, mantle) is green, while the wings are bright green with a narrow yellow stripe across. The undertail is grey. The irises are red, the bill is red with a yellow tip and the legs and feet are grey. In flight, the purple front shows clearly and contrasts spectacularly with the bright yellow-orange underwing coverts and vent. The underside of the flight feathers is dark-grey. Juveniles have a yellow bill and duller colours, especially in the areas where adults are white, while juvenile plumage is greyish-green.

Taxonomy, classification See Wompoo 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 Wompoo Fruit-Dove is available HERE . Wompoo Fruit-Doves populate West and East Papua in eastern Indonesia, basically all of New Guinea and parts of eastern Australia. There are three races of Wompoo Fruit-Doves in Australia, all of which are endemic. They populate a narrow strip along the Australian East coast, including the Torres Strait and some tropical islands. Race "assimilis" is present only at the tip of Cape York peninsula, to the North of Cape Melville. Race "keri" is found from Cape Melville to Mackay, QLD. Farther South, the range of nominate race "magnificus" extends to about the coast of northern NSW, possibly as far as just to the North of Sydney, NSW (i.e., beyond the Hunter estuary). The normal habitat of Wompoo Fruit-Doves is rainforest. Where to look? How to find this species? Even in prime habitat, Wompoo Fruit-Doves are usually not just there to be seen, e.g. on the ground. The best way to find them is to follow their characteristic "wom-poo" calls to try and find them feeding in the canopy of fruiting trees in rainforest.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "magnificus" We spotted a Wompoo Fruit-Dove, race "magnificus", in a tree top during a hike through Iluka NR, in northern NSW, in 2005. Although listed in field guides as locally common, in Iluka NR they are considered endangered. B. Hensen reports spotting a Wompoo Fruit-Dove, race "magnificus", at Copeland, NSW, in February 2013. A single Wompoo Fruit-Dove, race "magnificus", was spotted by A. Ross-Taylor at Bangalow, NSW, in January 2014. We have spotted a single Wompoo Fruit Dove, race "magnificus", at Mt. Tamborine NP, QLD, in May 2014. Various contributors report spotting a Wompoo Fruit-Doves, race "magnificus", at both Bunya Mountains NP, QLD, and Ravensbourne NP, QLD, semi-regularly. E. Scott reports spotting a Wompoo Fruit-Dove, race "magnificus", at Roseberry Creek Valley, near Toonumbar NP, northern NSW, in October 2016, and in Toonumbar NP in August 2018. Race "keri" In July 2013, at Julatten, QLD, B. Hensen spotted a Wompoo Fruit-Dove, race "keri". M. Eaton reports finding a Wompoo Fruit-Dove, race "keri", at Paluma Rainforest, near Townsville, QLD, in September 2020. Another was found at Julatten, QLD, in June 2024. J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours reports spotting a Wompoo Fruit-Dove, race "keri", at Yungaburra, QLD, in August 2020. Others were found at Malanda, QLD, in September 2023. Race "assimilis" M. Eaton reports finding Wompoo Fruit-Doves, race "assimilis", in Lockerbie Scrub, Cape York peninsula, QLD, in June 2024. Only audio of this race is available so far.

Photos

Race "magnificus"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of a Wompoo Fruit-Dove looking sideways (photo courtesy of E. Scott)
[Roseberry Creek Valley, near Toonumbar NP, northern NSW, October 2016]

Frontal view of a Wompoo Fruit-Dove looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Mount Mee, QLD, May 2020]

Frontal/ventral view of an adult Wompoo Fruit-Dove; note the much bluer front of this bird compared to others shown on this page (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Copeland, NSW, February 2013]

Frontal/ventral view of a preening Wompoo Fruit-Dove (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)

Near-frontal/ventral view of a Wompoo Fruit-Dove having a good stretch (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Ravensbourne NP, QLD, May 2017]

Near-lateral/ventral view of a Wompoo Fruit-Dove
[Mt. Tamborine NP, QLD, May 2014]

Lateral/ventral view of a Wompoo Fruit-Dove (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Ravensbourne NP, QLD, February 2016]

Lateral view of a Wompoo Fruit-Dove (photo courtesy of E. Scott)
[Roseberry Creek Valley, near Toonumbar NP, northern NSW, October 2016]

Lateral view of a preening Wompoo Fruit-Dove (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Copeland, NSW, February 2013]

Dorsal view of a Wompoo Fruit-Dove (photo courtesy of E. Scott)
[Roseberry Creek Valley, near Toonumbar NP, northern NSW, June 2016]

Race "keri"

ADULT

PAIR

Close-up frontal/dorsal view of a pair of Wompoo Fruit-Doves (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Malanda, QLD, September 2023]

Sex unknown

Frontal view of an adult Wompoo Fruit-Dove looking sideways (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Julatten, QLD, July 2013]

Close-up near-frontal view of a Wompoo Fruit-Dove (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Malanda, QLD, September 2023]

Close-up near-lateral view of a Wompoo Fruit-Dove looking down at the observer
(photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Yungaburra, QLD, August 2020]

Breeding information

Breeding season: July - Mar

Eggs: 1

Incubation period: 12 - 14 days

Fledging age: ?

Nest building: ?

Incubation: Female & male

Dependent care: Female & male

Nest

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

Type: Rudimentary basket

Material: Sticks, twigs

Height above ground: 5 - 20 m

Close-up frontal view of a pair of Wompoo Fruit-Doves on their nest (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Daintree Village, QLD, October 2024]

Close-up near-lateral view of a Wompoo Fruit-Dove sitting down on its nest (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Daintree Village, QLD, October 2024]

Close-up near-lateral view of a Wompoo Fruit-Dove on its nest (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Daintree Village, QLD, October 2024]

Wompoo Fruit-Dove on its nest (photo courtesy of E. Scott)
[Toonumbar NP, NSW, August 2018]

Eggs

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

Size: 42 x 28 mm

Colour: White

Shape: Oval

Behaviour

Social behaviour: ?

Mobility: Sedentary

Elementary unit: Solitary/pair

Food, Diet

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

Lateral view of a Wompoo Fruit-Dove feeding on the fruit of a palm (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Julatten, QLD, June 2024]

Near-dorsal view of a Wompoo Fruit-Dove feeding on the fruit of a palm (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Julatten, QLD, June 2024]

Lateral view of a Wompoo Fruit-Dove feeding on the fruit of privet (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Malanda, QLD, August 2024]

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.

wompoo_art_20150420.m4a	magnificus (SE QLD)	Contact call	© ART
wompoo_20150328.m4a	magnificus (NE NSW)	Q&A	© MD
wompoo_20150328_2.m4a	magnificus (NE NSW)	Q&A	© MD
wompoo_20160314_4.m4a	magnificus (S QLD)	Q&A	© MD
wompoo_me_20200927_1.m4a	keri (N QLD)	Contact call	© ME
wompoo_me_20200927_2.m4a	keri (N QLD)	Contact call	© ME
wompoo_me_20200927.m4a	keri (N QLD)	Contact calls (in bkgd of Chowchilla)	© ME
wompoo_me_20240613_2.m4a	assimilis (Far-N QLD)	Contact call	© ME
wompoo_me_20240613_4.m4a	assimilis (Far-N QLD)	Contact call (with "gulp")	© ME
wompoo_me_20240616.m4a	assimilis (Far-N QLD)	Contact calls (Q&A)	© ME

We have also been able to record Wompoo Fruit-Dove wing beats.

wompoo_me_20240613_3.m4a

assimilis (Far-N QLD)

Departure

© ME

More Wompoo 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.

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