Scarlet-breasted Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus bernsteinii Scientific name definitions

28–29 cm. Mainly rich green, shading to a paler duller green on neck and breast; head pale yellowish grey shading into green of neck; a patch of bright scarlet in middle of green lower breast; belly deep buffy yellowish gold shading into golden yellow on underwing-coverts; undertail-coverts chestnut; tail fairly long and broad. Female lacks scarlet breast patch and has a pale greyish green head. Race <em>micrus</em> differs only in smaller size and relatively shorter tail.

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Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Primary forest, adjacent secondary growth and dense bamboo stands, from lowlands up to the highest peaks; on Obi recorded from 180 up to 600 m; on Halmahera up to 1200 m; and on Bacan at 1500–2150 m.

No information.

Frequents the lower canopy and mid-storey, where it feeds on fruits of trees and vines (1 Coates, B. J., and K. D. Bishop (1997). A Guide to the Birds of Wallacea: Sulawesi, The Moluccas and Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia. Dove Publications, Alderley, Queensland, Australia. Close ).

Advertising call is a double note repeated at intervals. First note is short (c. 0·15 seconds), second is longer (c. 0·5–0·7 seconds), both on about same pitch (c. 500 Hz), e.g. “hu..whuUUuh”.

Nests with eggs have been found in March (2 Thibault, M., P. Defos du Rau, O. Pineau, and W. Pangimangen (2013). New and interesting records for the Obi archipelago (north Maluku, Indonesia), including field observations and first description of the vocalisation of Moluccan Woodcock Scolopax rochussenii. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 133(2):83–115. Close ), July, August and September (3 Lansley, P.S. and Farnes, R.F. (2006). Nesting of the Scarlet-breasted Fruit Dove Ptilinopus bernsteinii Forktail 22: 139–140. Close ) and one with a young nestling was found in late April. The nest is a typical dove platform of twigs. Only a few nests have been reported, all of them quite low down (1–2.5m), two on fern leaves, one in a small tree and two on palm fronds. Clutch size is 1 white egg. Both parents incubate. (3 Lansley, P.S. and Farnes, R.F. (2006). Nesting of the Scarlet-breasted Fruit Dove Ptilinopus bernsteinii Forktail 22: 139–140. Close )

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Uncommon to moderately common on Halmahera; rare to absent in lowlands, at least nowadays, on Bacan and Obi (1 Coates, B. J., and K. D. Bishop (1997). A Guide to the Birds of Wallacea: Sulawesi, The Moluccas and Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia. Dove Publications, Alderley, Queensland, Australia. Close ). Probably under-recorded because of its retiring habits since more recently seen regularly and commonly heard at 150–1210m in primary and logged forest on Obi (2 Thibault, M., P. Defos du Rau, O. Pineau, and W. Pangimangen (2013). New and interesting records for the Obi archipelago (north Maluku, Indonesia), including field observations and first description of the vocalisation of Moluccan Woodcock Scolopax rochussenii. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 133(2):83–115. Close ). Also on Obi it was found to be uncommon in lowland plantations in the CabangKiri River area (35–50m) and relatively common in montane forest north of Fluk (800–1550 m) (4 Mittermeier, J.C., Cottee-Jones, H.E.W., Purba, E.C., Ashuri, N.M., Hesdianti, E. and Supriatna, J. (2013). A survey of the avifauna of Obi island, North Moluccas, Indonesia. Forktail 29: 128–137. Close ).