Little Green-Pigeon Treron olax Scientific name definitions

21–22 cm; 77 g. Plump, compact and short-tailed; the smallest Treron. Head , upper half of neck and hindneck dark blue-grey becoming pale blue-grey on forehead and chin; breast dark orange-gold becoming yellow-green on lower breast and belly; flanks grey; tibial feathers chestnut and grey; long undertail-coverts dark chestnut; mantle and lesser inner wing-coverts dark reddish ­purple; rest of wing black with narrow pale ­yellow edges to greater-coverts and secondaries; underwing, rump and uppertail-coverts grey; rectrices greyish black with narrow pale grey terminal band (faint in central pair); orbital skin light blue or greenish blue; bill whitish, pale green or greenish yellow with light blue or blue-green base and cere; feet red or purplish red. Female has no purple, orange or chestnut in plumage; dark olive-green above and yellowish green below, with grey forehead and crown, buff and dark green vent and buff undertail-coverts. Juvenile is much like adult female, but juvenile male has chestnut fringes to inner wing-coverts and scapulars.

Peninsular Thailand and Malaysia S through Sumatra, including Riau Archipelago, Bangka and Belitung, to Borneo (including Natuna Is) and W Java.

Forests, parks, gardens and second growth up to 1400 m. May be most common in lowland and foothill forest.

Nocturnal migration has been recorded from watchpoint on Fraser's Hill, Malaysia, with records during Apr–May, Aug–Sept and Nov in late 1960s.

Frugivorous; known to feed on wild figs, but no further details available on diet. Typically seen in small flocks of up to 8 birds; feeds from middle storey to canopy.

A rhythmic sequence of rather high-pitched melodious overslurred whistles, with the complete song lasting c. 5–6 seconds. Typical pattern comprises three overslurred whistles, followed by some subdued whining notes, and ending with three overslurred whistles “wheeuw...wheeuw...wheeuw...wi-wi-wee..whee..whee..wheeuw”.

Little information available. Recorded in Feb in S Borneo; Apr and Jun in Sumatra; and Jun in Borneo. Builds flimsy nest of live twigs, typical of the genus; male is principal nest-builder. Usually 2 white eggs.

Not globally threatened. Few precise details available, but species described as being locally common in Sumatra and Borneo; very rare in lowland forests of W Java. No breeding records from Java.