Trugon terrestris
Specialized thick, blunt bill. Forehead pinkish white becoming dark bluish grey on crown and nape, white to buffish white ear-coverts and throat separated by bluish grey malar stripe, blackish collar, nape feathers tend to be longer, forming a nuchal crest, especially noticeable when neck is streched, rest of neck, mantle and breast bluish grey, wings dark brown to dull grey, rest of UpP and tail dark brownish grey, UnW banded black and white, belly white merging to reddish buff or pale chesnut on flanks and outer webs of UnT-C, iris orange to ruby red, orbital skin grey, bill dark grey at base, pinkish white near tip, legs and feet pink. Sexes similar, but female has W-C slightly more violaceos. Juvenile has darker iris and dark mark on midridge of the culmen, wing feathers edged rufous. Race leucopareia has innermost W-C dark purplish chesnut and rest of coverts as well as outer webs of primaries and secondaries chesnut, mayri grey rather than white on face, and W-C only slightly chesnut-tinged, with belly and flanks paler than in nominate.
Not Threatened.
Specialized thick, blunt bill. Forehead pinkish white becoming dark bluish grey on crown and nape, white to buffish white ear-coverts and throat separated by bluish grey malar stripe, blackish collar, nape feathers tend to be longer, forming a nuchal crest, especially noticeable when neck is streched, rest of neck, mantle and breast bluish grey, wings dark brown to dull grey, rest of UpP and tail dark brownish grey, UnW banded black and white, belly white merging to reddish buff or pale chesnut on flanks and outer webs of UnT-C, iris orange to ruby red, orbital skin grey, bill dark grey at base, pinkish white near tip, legs and feet pink. Sexes similar, but female has W-C slightly more violaceos. Juvenile has darker iris and dark mark on midridge of the culmen, wing feathers edged rufous. Race leucopareia has innermost W-C dark purplish chesnut and rest of coverts as well as outer webs of primaries and secondaries chesnut, mayri grey rather than white on face, and W-C only slightly chesnut-tinged, with belly and flanks paler than in nominate.
31-35 cm, 323-400g
Taxonomy:
- Trugon terrestris G. R. Gray, 1849, Triton Bay, north-west Guinea. Has no obvious close relatives. Three subspecies recognized. (source: Handbook of the Birds of World)
Subspecies and Distribution:
- * terrestris G. R. Gray, 1849 - Salawati, and NW New Guinea E to Geelvink and Etna Bays. * mayri Rothschild, 1931 - NC New Guinea, from R Memberamo E to Humboldt Bay. * leucopareia (A. B. Meyer, 1886) - S New Guinea, from R Setekwa E to Milne Bay.
Inhabits rain forest and monsoon forest and lowlands and hills up to 640 m. Usually on the forest floor, typically seen singly, although one or more other birds may be nearby.
Takes seeds by opening fallen fruit with its specialized blunt bill, small fruit is chewed and crushed in the bill and the content swallowed. Species may visit leks of Magnificent BOP to forage for seeds disgorged by lekking birds.
Nesting recorded in both wet and dry season, with no pattern evident. Nes is sometimes a rudimentary structure of twigs, leawes or other bits of plants. Suspected of being nomadic, following food suplies. NoT. Apparently rather scarce.