Tag Archives: Ptilinopus

Ptilinopus rarotongensis ssp. ‘Mangaia’

Mangaia Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus rarotongensis ssp.)

This form is known based on a single subfossil femur that was found in the Te Rua Rere Cave on the island of Mangaia, Cook Islands.

The species still occurs (with two subspecies which may in fact be candidates for splitting) on the islands of ‘Atiu and Rarotonga, both likewise in the Cook archipelago, and may have constituted another distinct, now extinct subspecies. [2]

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There is yet (of course) an interesting account, which is given by  D. T. Holyoak and J. C. Thibault in 1984.:

P. r. sous-espèce?

… 
Mangaia: un habitant de cette île déclara, en 1973, qu’il connaissaitle «Kukupa» et que cet oiseau habitait seulement les bois de la région corallienne. Il sut imiter l’appel et décrivit le nid. Toutefois, Ducula pacifica, qui est également inconnue dans cette île, pourrait être l’oiseau décrit.
” [1]

translation:

P. r. subspecies?


Mangaia: a resident of this island declared, in 1973, that he knew «Kukupa» and that this bird lived only in the woods of the coral region. He knew how to imitate the call and described the nest. However, Ducula pacifica, which is also unknown on this island, could be the described bird.

Kukupa is the local name for the Lilac-crowned Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus rarotongensis Hartlaub & Finsch), and (most if not all) Polynesians make a clear distinction between the smaller green fruit-doves (Ptilinopus spp.) and the larger imperial pigeons (Ducula spp.), which on the Cook Islands are called rupe.

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References:

[1] D. T. Holyoak; J.-C. Thibault: Contribution à l’étude des oiseaux de Polynésie orientale. Mémoires du Muséum national d’histoire naturelle 127(1): 1-209. 1984
[2] David W. Steadman: Fossil birds from Mangaia, southern Cook Islands. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 105(2): 58-66. 1985

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edited: 09.03.2020

Ptilinopus rarotongensis ssp. ‘Ma’uke’

Mauke Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus rarotongensis ssp.)

There is an interesting account, which is given by D. T. Holyoak and J. C. Thibault in 1984.:

P. r. sous-espèce?

Mauke: il semble qu’un ptilope ait habité l’île. L’Exp. de la «Blonde» rapportait que deux sortes de pigeons, dont un pigeon frugivore vert, habitaient Mauiki en 1825. Savage (1962) donne une information obtenue avant 1940; d’après la population locale le «Kukupa… se rencontre en abondance dans les îles de Mauke et Atiu». En 1973, il ne fut pas trouvé au cours d’une brève visite; les habitants interrogés à ce sujet donnèrent des informations contradictoires.
….
” [1]

translation:

P. r. subspecies?

Mauke: it seems that a Ptilinopus inhabited the island. The Exp. de la “Blonde” reported that two kinds of pigeons, including a green frugivorous pigeon, inhabited Mauiki in 1825. Savage (1962) gives information obtained before 1940; local people say “Kukupa … occurs in abundance on the islands of Mauke and Atiu”. In 1973 it was not found during a brief visit; the inhabitants questioned on this subject gave contradictory information.
….

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References:

[1] D. T. Holyoak; J.-C. Thibault: Contribution à l’étude des oiseaux de Polynésie orientale. Mémoires du Muséum national d’histoire naturelle 127(1): 1-209. 1984

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edited: 09.03.2020

Ptilinopus mercierii ssp. tristrami (Salvadori)

Hiva Oa Red-mustached Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus mercierii ssp. tristrami 

The Hiva Oa Red-mustached Fruit-Dove is known only from the island of Hiva Oa, Marquesas, but might indeed have been more widespread in former times.   

This form, which differs from the nominate by the narrow yellow band below its pink head-cap, is known from several specimens and some rather scarce accounts like the following by the American ornithologist Rollo H. Beck in 1921.:

January 24

I went up onto the plateau and on up to Mt. Ootua several miles to the eastward, and around its base saw several red-capped doves of which three were secured. they were as reported, found near the heads of canyons and usually seen when flying to or from the canyon where the stream of water was flowing. As I stood on the top of the ridge with a brisk breeze sweeping over, one flew back and forth to windward of me several times looking at me. Their call notes did not seem to have the half douen rapid “Coos” at the end of the cooing as does the white-crowned and the Tahitian species. … The red-crown would come to my calling occasionally, but in the thick forest would fly past or light unseen. No white-crowns were seen where the reds were found, but they occurred just below them.” [1]

The white-capped Fruit-Dove (Ptilnopus dupetithouarsii (Neboux) is still found on most of the Marquesan Islands, it is thus somewhat strange that the Rad-capped Fruit-Dove is now extinct. [2]

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References:  

[1] Whitney South Sea Expedition of the American Museum of Natural History. Extracts from the journal of Rollo H. Beck. Vol. 1, Sept 1920 – June 1923
[2] David Gibbs, Eustace Barnes, John Cox: Pigeons and Doves, A Guide to the Pigeons and Doves of the World. Pica Press, Sussex 2001  

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Photo: Alexander Lang

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edited: 16.03.2020

Ptilinopus sp. ‘Gambier Islands’

Gambier Islands Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus sp.)

The Atoll Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus coralensis Peale) is distributed all over the Tuamotu Archipelago and was formerly also believed to have occurred on the Gambier Islands, however, no such specimen appears to have ever been collected and thus the former occurence of fruit-doves on these islands is actually known only from accounts. [1][2][3]

There are, however, at least three subfssil bones found on the island of Taravai, the second largest of the Gambier Islands, that can be assigned to the genus Ptilinopus, but apparently not to the Atoll Fruit-Dove. [2]

***

The Atoll Fruit-Dove is actually a species that appears to be very well adapted to the low coral atolls it is inhabiting, thus the form that once occurred on the Gambier Islands most likely was a distinct one; its native name is given as having been kuku. [2]

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References:

[1] David Gibbs, Eustace Barnes, John Cox: Pigeons and Doves, A Guide to the Pigeons and Doves of the World. Pica Press, Sussex 2001
[2] Jean-Claude Thibault; Alice Cibois: From early Polynesian settlement to the present: bird extinctions in the Gambier Islands. Pacific Science 66(3): 271-281. 2012
[3] Stanislas Rigal; Patrick V. Kirch; Trevor H. Worthy: New prehistoric avifaunas from the Gambier Group, French Polynesia. Palaeontologia Electronica 21.3.4A 1-35. 2018

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edited: 17.03.2020

Ptilinopus sp. ‘Tubuai’

Tubuai Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus sp.)

The Tubuai Fruit-Dove is known from subfossil remains that were recovered from a archaeological site on the island of Tubuai, Austral Islands.

These remains differ significantly from the bones of its geographically nearest congeners, the Rapa Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus huttoni Finsch) from Rapa, Austral Islands, and the Lilac-crowned Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus rarotongensis Hartlaub & Finsch) from Rarotonga, Cook islands.

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References:

[1] Trevor H. Worthy; Robert Bollt: Prehistoric birds and bats from the Atihara Site, Tubuai, Austral Islands, East Polynesia. Pacific Science 65(1): 69-85. 2011

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edited: 29.05.2019

Ptilinopus sp. ‘Lakeba’

Lakeba Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus sp.)

The Lakeba Fruit-Dove is known only from subfossil remains that were recovered from Archaeological sites on the island of Lakeba in the Lau Archipelago in eastern Fiji.

The remains cannot be assigned to any of the other fruit-dove species known from the Fijian Islands and thus most likely represents a distinct species. [1]

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References:

[1] D. W. Steadman; J. Franklin: A preliminary survey of landbirds on Lakeba, Lau Group, Fiji. Emu 100(3): 227-235. 2000

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edited: 29.05.2019

Ptilinopus mercierii ssp. mercierii (Des Murs & Prévost)

Red-mustached Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus mercierii ssp. mercierii)

The Red-mustached Fruit-Dove was endemic to the Marquesas, where it was found sympatrically with the White-capped Fruit Dove (Ptilinopus dupetithouarsii (Neboux)).

Two subspecies are recognized, the nominate form, only known from a single specimen from the island of Nuku Hiva, but probably formerly occurring on all the northern islands of the group; and the ssp. tristrami (Salvadori), known only from Hiva Oa, but again very likely formerly found on all the southern islands.

The species reached a size of about 22 cm, the nominate form had a bright pinkish red cap and malar streak, the rest of the head, the neck and the breast were greyish, the upperparts were green, the belly was bright yellow.

The nominate race died out around 1900, the reasons for the extinction of this species are not really known, above all when the survival of the other Marquesan fruit-dove species, the White-capped Fruit-Dove, is considered, which is still fairly common on most islands in the Marquesan Archipelago. [1][2]

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References:

[1] Errol Fuller: Extinct Birds. Penguin Books (England) 1987 
[2] David Gibbs, Eustace Barnes, John Cox: Pigeons and Doves, A Guide to the Pigeons and Doves of the World. Pica Press, Sussex 2001  

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Depiction from: ‘Charles Lucian Bonaparte: Iconographie des pigeons, non figurés par Mme Knip (Mlle Pauline Decourcelles) dans les deux volumes de MM. Temminck et Florent Prévost. Paris, P. Bertrand 1857-58’  

(public domain)

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edited: 16.03.2020

Ptilinopus hernsheimi ssp. marshallianus Peters & Griscom

Ebon Purple-capped Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus hernsheimi ssp. marshallianus)

This somewhat enigmatic form is known only from a single specimen, originally conserved in spirit, which was collected in the year 1859, obviously on the Ebon Atoll, Marshall Islands.

The bird was originally described as a distinct species, but was later assigned as a subspecies to the Purple-capped Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus porphyraceus Temminck), whose subspecies again were split off as distinct species in 2014, The Samoan Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus fasciatus Peale), The Kosrae Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus hernsheimi) and the Pohnpei Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus ponapensis Finsch).

The Ebon Purple-capped Fruit-Dove had a size of about 23 cm, it was quite similar to the Kosrae Fruit-Dove but is said to have had the vent and the undertail coverts orange rather than yellow.

~~~

The Ebon Purple-capped Fruit-Dove is currently treated as being synonymous to the Kosrae Fruit-Dove, however, in my opinion, and seen in a geographical context, it appears indeed to be quite senseful to treat this form as a distinct taxon.

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References:

[1] S. Dillon Ripley; Hugh Birckhead: Birds collected during the Whitney South Sea Expedition. 51, On the fruit pigeons of the Ptilinopus purpuratus group. American Museum Novitates 1192. 1942
[2] Dirk H. R. Spennemann; Hemley Benjamin: Notes on the avifauna of Ebon Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands: observations gathered during a brief field trip, 17-22 June 1992, with some comments on the Marshallese nomenclature of birds. Majuro Atoll: Republic of the Marshall Islands, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Historic Preservation Office 1992
[3] David Gibbs, Eustace Barnes, John Cox: Pigeons and Doves, A Guide to the Pigeons and Doves of the World. Pica Press, Sussex 2001
[4] Dirk H. R. Spennemann: Extinctions and extirpations in Marshall Islands avifauna since European contact-a review of historic evidence. Micronesica 38(2): 253–266. 2006
[5] J. del Hoyo; N. J. Collar; D. A. Christie; A. Elliott; L. D. C. Fishpool: HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International 2014

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edited: 23.09.2017