Forehead and area above and behind eyes dark blue-grey becoming dark iridescent green on crown and nape, pale grey on breast and lower breast and greyish white on rear edge of breast and greyish white on rear edge of breast shield, border of breast shield tipped purple at sides and blackish purple on lower breast, rest of UnP blackish grey. Hindneck, UpP, central tail feathers, median and greater wing-coverts, and inner secondaries dark olive-green with bronzy green gloss, lesser wing-coverts dark purple, primaries and outer secondaries black, outer tail feather dark grey with poorly defined black subterminal band and brownish tips, iris brown, orbital skin creamy white, bil black, feet and legs purplish red. Female has dark grey head and upper breast, rest of underpats dull yellowish brown, grey of head and neck suffused brown, lacks purple on wings and sides of breast, rest of underparts dull yellowish brown. Juvenile similar to female, but duller and browner, with rufous fringes to feathers of wings and breast, and to a lesser extent elswhere. Race jahannae slightly larger, with UpP of male glosses bronzy purple and the brown plumage paler and redder, admiralitalis similar, but has head entirely blue-grey and breast shields becomes white only at median part of border, whereas female has fairly clearly demarcated darj grey breast shield, other races show only minor variation in plumage
Not Threatened.
Forehead and area above and behind eyes dark blue-grey becoming dark iridescent green on crown and nape, pale grey on breast and lower breast and greyish white on rear edge of breast and greyish white on rear edge of breast shield, border of breast shield tipped purple at sides and blackish purple on lower breast, rest of UnP blackish grey. Hindneck, UpP, central tail feathers, median and greater wing-coverts, and inner secondaries dark olive-green with bronzy green gloss, lesser wing-coverts dark purple, primaries and outer secondaries black, outer tail feather dark grey with poorly defined black subterminal band and brownish tips, iris brown, orbital skin creamy white, bil black, feet and legs purplish red. Female has dark grey head and upper breast, rest of underpats dull yellowish brown, grey of head and neck suffused brown, lacks purple on wings and sides of breast, rest of underparts dull yellowish brown. Juvenile similar to female, but duller and browner, with rufous fringes to feathers of wings and breast, and to a lesser extent elswhere. Race jahannae slightly larger, with UpP of male glosses bronzy purple and the brown plumage paler and redder, admiralitalis similar, but has head entirely blue-grey and breast shields becomes white only at median part of border, whereas female has fairly clearly demarcated darj grey breast shield, other races show only minor variation in plumage
18-20 cm, male 84-104 g, female 59 g
Taxonomy:
- Chalcophaps beccarii Salvadori, 1876, Arfak Mountains, New Guinea. Affinities unclear: may form a superspecies with G. canifrons, and these two also appear to be related to the G. jobiensis superspecies; alternatively, may be related to G. stairi and G. sanctaecrucis, and more distantly to G. canifrons and G. hoedtii. (source: Handbook of the Birds of World)
Subspecies and Distribution:
- * beccarii (Salvadori, 1876) - mountains of New Guinea. * johannae (P. L. Sclater, 1877) - Karkar I, Bismarck Archipelago (except ranges of following two races) and Nissan I (E of S New Ireland). * eichhorni Hartert, 1924 - St Matthias Group (Mussau, Emira). * admiralitatis (Rothschild & Hartert, 1914) - Admiralty Is (Manus). * intermedia (Rothschild & Hartert, 1905) - W Solomon Is (including Bougainville). * solomonensis (Ogilvie-Grant, 1888) - E Solomon Is (including Rennell).
Montane forest at 1200-1700 m, in mainland New Guinea, but from lowlands to lower mountainy on outlying islands.
Feeds on fallen fruit, seeds and insect, stomachs of collected birds often contain gravel or pebbles, presumably ingested as grit. Apparently abundant in areas where wild bamboo is setting seeds
Nesting recorded in January in NG. Nest is flimsy paltform of twigs and decayed leaves, reported location include on a log on the ground. Apparently partially nomadic. NoT. Generally scarc.