Rather plump, with shorter wings and tail than many other Ducula, head and foreneck pale mauve-pink shading to rich golden rufous on breast and flanks, to buff on abdomen and whitish on undertail-coverts, hindneck and upper blue-grey, back and wings green aith purplish-red iridescence, rump and basal two-thirds of tail purplish-rer, apical third of tail grey, underside of tail dull grey with paler grey terminal band. Sexes simalr but female tends to be darker on head, with less red iridescence on upperparts. Juvenile resembles adults but duller.
Not Threatened.
Rather plump, with shorter wings and tail than many other Ducula, head and foreneck pale mauve-pink shading to rich golden rufous on breast and flanks, to buff on abdomen and whitish on undertail-coverts, hindneck and upper blue-grey, back and wings green aith purplish-red iridescence, rump and basal two-thirds of tail purplish-rer, apical third of tail grey, underside of tail dull grey with paler grey terminal band. Sexes simalr but female tends to be darker on head, with less red iridescence on upperparts. Juvenile resembles adults but duller.
33-39 cm, 414-582 g
Taxonomy:
- Columba rufigaster Quoy and Gaimard, 1830, Manokwari, New Guinea. Forms a superspecies with D. basilica and D. finschii, with both of which present species is sometimes considered conspecific; also closely allied to D. chalconota, which some authors include in this superspecies. Two subspecies recognized. (source: Handbook of the Birds of World)
Subspecies and Distribution:
- * rufigaster (Quoy & Gaimard, 1830) - W Papuan Is, Vogelkop and S New Guinea E to Orangerie Bay. * uropygialis Stresemann & Paludan, 1932 - Yapen I and N New Guinea E to Huon Gulf.
Forest and sometimes forest edge, primarily in lowlands and foothills up to 600 m, but locally up to 1200 m.
Frugivorous, the most important were palms, nutmegs, laurels. In lower canopy, usually singly.
No info.