Orange-fronted Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus aurantiifrons Scientific name definitions

22–23 cm; 136 g. Forehead bright orange or orange-yellow; throat and lower part of face white; crown, nape and upper part of face green with bronzy tinge; upper breast blue-grey, extending in a band around neck; ventral regions pale yellowish green; undertail-coverts creamy white and dull green; rest of plumage green with bronzy tinge, except on dark green primaries and outer secondaries; bluish grey bases to feathers form spots on wing-coverts and upper mantle; outer tail feathers tipped grey and white on inner webs; bill red at base, yellow to greenish yellow for rest of lenght; legs bright purple-red. Female duller. Juvenile plumage apparently undescribed.

Inhabits secondary forest and forest edge, littoral woodland, mangroves, gallery forest, savanna and towns; often frequents fig trees; occasionally in primary rain forest. Found from sea-level up to 300 m.

Little information, but species is apparently sedentary. Flight swift and direct.

Frugivorous; feeds on a variety of species; in a study near Port Moresby, the most important plant families were Moraceae, Combretaceae and Arecaceae. Often seen in flocks; also feeds singly and in pairs.

A soft ‘hoo’ series and a seesaw at medium-low pitch (2 Pratt, T. K., and B. M. Beehler (2015) Birds of New Guinea. Second edition. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA. Close ). Each note of the ‘hoo’ series is slightly upslurred; given at a steady rate or accelerating slightly. The seesaw usually consists of six notes: the first, third, and fifth upslurred, the others downslurred. Also produces a series starting with a single low note followed by a louder series that steadily declines in pitch.

Scattered breeding records in Papua New Guinea indicate that nesting occurs from middle of dry season to early wet season at least, Sept–Apr; nest with egg in late Mar at Bintuni Bay (S Vogelkop). Nest somewhat more substantial than typical for genus, placed in a tree or shrub 2·4–4·6 m up; one small nest found in low Sonneratia caseolaris mangrove. Lays 1 white egg; incubating or brooding adults do not sit tightly, flushing when an observer approaches to within 50 m.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Few details available. Species is described as being generally fairly common, locally abundant. Adapts to a variety of secondary habitats, including towns.