Tawitawi Brown-Dove Phapitreron cinereiceps Scientific name definitions

26–27 cm; 131–159 g (might include some data pertaining to P. brunneiceps). Adult has forehead to nape dark sooty grey, becoming slightly browner on forehead, blackish subcilial streak, metallic blue and purple on hindneck and upper mantle, then dark brown over lower mantle, scapulars, wing-coverts, tertials and secondaries, with blackish-brown primaries, edged rusty brown on outer five, back, rump and uppertail-coverts also dark brown with bronze reflections, slightly more rufous on tail-coverts, dark brown central rectrices with bronzy sheen, paler on outer rectrices with ash-grey terminal band and blackish on underside; chin and throat pale rufous, becoming darker on breast to thighs, with slight metallic gloss on breast, and slate-grey undertail-coverts; iris bright yellow to orange-red, orbital skin dark brown to black, bill black, and legs and feet dirty purplish. Differs from most congeners in lacking white ear-stripe; underparts with more vinaceous tinge, throat and breast rufous, belly brown, undertail-coverts greyish; hindneck has redder gloss. Sexes similar.  Juvenile unknown. P. brunneiceps has brown crown, vinous-grey belly, buff vent and undertail-coverts; possibly confusable with Gallicolumba menagei if seen poorly, and smaller Chalcophaps indica, which has green upperparts and white forehead.

Present species usually considered conspecific with P. brunneiceps but differs on account of matt grey vs brown crown (3); rusty vs vinous-grey belly (2); grey vs buff undertail-coverts (2); and more olive back (ns[1]) (1 Collar, N. J., N. A. D. Mallari, and B. R. Tabaranza (1999). Threatened Birds of the Philippines. BirdLife International, Haribon Foundation & Bookmark, Makati City & Manila. Close , 2 Collar, N. J., A. V. Andreev, S. Chan, M. J. Crosby, S. Subramanya, and J. A. Tobias, Editors (2001). Threatened Birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book. Part B. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK. Close ). Both are sometimes considered conspecific with P. amethystinus. Monotypic.

SW Philippines: Tawitawi, in S Sulu Is. Extinct on adjacent Sanga-Sanga (3 BirdLife International (2013). IUCN Red List for birds. URL: http://www.birdlife.org (download Aug 2013). Close ).

Inhabits lowland forest, including beachside mangroves with mixed primary and secondary growth. Apparently more common in forest edge and secondary forest, than in  primary forest and it has been noted to be common in heavily logged forest, suggesting considerable tolerance of habitat degradation.  The maximum altitude on Tawitawi is 500 m.

No specific information. Presumably consumes a variety of fruit and seeds, with Ficus fruits found in stomach contents of one specimen.

Advertising call  closely recalls that of P. leucotis but is longer and slower than equivalent in P. brunneiceps, a deep, resonating “hoot hoot toot toot-toot-toot-toot-toot”, lasting 2–3 seconds, accelerating towards the end, before trailing off, like a bouncing table tennis ball; also produces a rapid “pupupupupupupu” (4 Kennedy, R. S., P. C. Gonzales, E. C. Dickinson, H. C. Miranda, and T. H. Fisher (2000). A Guide to the Birds of the Philippines. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). 

ENDANGERED. Restricted to the islands of Tawitawi and adjacent Sanga-sanga, but it is almost certainly extinct on the latter island, where only very small areas of heavily degraded low-stature forest remain, and the last known record was in c. 1987.  Recent records from four sites on Tawitawi, including Languyan, Lubbuk and Tarawakan (being common at the latter site in 1996 and early 2008), but in part the paucity of observations might be reflective of retiring habits. Ongoing deforestation, partially to make way for oil-palm plantations, implies that very rapid population decline, exacerbated by uncontrolled hunting, has occurred over the last ten years and is likely to continue. An estimated 250–300 km² of forest remained on Tawitawi some time prior to 2001, although much of this had been selectively logged, and the species was heard regularly in both primary and secondary forest in Jan 2012, while the rate at which remaining tracts have been cleared for oil-palm plantations is thought to be lower than was feared previously. Population estimated provisionally at 350–1500 individuals, or 250–999 mature birds.