Family Pigeons, Doves (Columbidae)
Least Concern
Yellow-banded Fruit-dove (Ptilinopus solomonensis)
Taxonomy
French: Ptilope des Salomon German: Malvenstirn-Fruchttaube Spanish: Tilopo de las Salomón
Other common names:
Yellow-bibbed Fruit-dove
Taxonomy:
Ptilonopus [sic] solomonensis
G. R. Gray
, 1870,San Cristobal, Solomon Islands
.Subspecies and Distribution
P. s. johannis
P. L. Sclater, 1877 – Admiralty Is, St Matthias Group and New Hanover (Bismarck Archipelago).
P. s. meyeri
E. J. O. Hartert, 1926 – satellite islands off New Britain (Crown, Long, Tolokiwa, Umboi, Malai, Sakar, Witu, Watom).
P. s. neumanni
E. J. O. Hartert, 1926 – Nissan I, in Green Is (between New Ireland and Bougainville).
P. s. bistictus
Mayr, 1931 – Buka, Bougainville and Shortland Is (N Solomons).
P. s. vulcanorum
Mayr, 1931 – Vella Lavella, Kolombangara, Rendova, Vangunu and Nggatokae, in New Georgia Group (C Solomons); also Florida Is and probably this subspecies in Russell Is and Ramos#R (SC Solomons).
P. s. ocularis
Mayr, 1931 – Guadalcanal (SE Solomons).
P. s. ambiguus
Mayr, 1931 – Malaita (E Solomons).
P. s. solomonensis
G. R. Gray, 1870 – Makira (San Cristobal), Uki and Three Sisters#R (SE Solomons).
Descriptive notes
19–22 cm; 83–112 g. General plumage dark green, forehead and front of crown mauve, broad yellow crescent-shaped band across breast, vent and undertail-coverts... read more
Voice
Produces a slightly accelerating series of cooing notes that rise in volume, trail off and then... read more
Habitat
Typically found on outlying islands, rather than large land masses and on larger islands it is... read more
Food and feeding
Frugivorous, but no detailed information on diet, though typically takes fruits and berries up 21 mm in diameter. Feeds in both trees and... read more
Breeding
Reported to breed throughout the year in Bismarck Archipelago, while nests on Bougainville and Nisan have been recorded in Aug and Apr, and... read more
Movements
No definite information, but is perhaps only a non-breeding visitor to the main island of New... read more
Status and conservation
Not globally threatened. Locally common, e.g. on Bougainville and Makira, and in the mountains of Guadalcanal and Kolombangara, while in the Admiralty Is, the species is... read more
Hitherto considered to include P. speciosus; P. solomonensis differs on account of its all-yellow vs white-edged breastband (3); mauve-purple belly patch connected to breastband vs clearly separated from it by a narrow belt of the green (2); paler green “hood” from nape around upper breast (2); presence of indigo spots on upperparts (ns[1]); a paler purplish preocular area extending to above eye in solomonensis races ocularis and bistictus (larger in other races, becoming fuller purplish cap in some) vs a dark purplish preocular spot (or loral spot) (ns[2]); significantly longer wing and larger size (at least 1). Closely related to P. rivoli, and more distantly to P. superbus (and P. temminckii)#R; previously thought also to be allied to P. viridis and P. eugeniae. Eight subspecies recognized.