Knob-billed fruit-dove

Ptilinopus insolitus

Photo by Laurens Steijn (Dutch Birding)

Common name:
knob-billed fruit-dove (en); pombo-da-fruta-de-capacete (pt); ptilope casqué (fr); tilopo insólito (es); knopffruchttaube (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Columbiformes
Family Columbidae

Range:
This species is endemic to the Bismarck archipelago of eastern Papua-New Guinea.

Size:
These birds are 22-24 cm long and weigh 115-145 g.

Habitat:
The knob-billed fruit-dove is found in forests habitat, including both dry and moist tropical forests, forests edges and disturbed area. They occur from sea level up to an altitude of 1.200 m.

Diet:
They are frugivorous, eating wild figs and other fruits.

Breeding:
These birds can probably breed all year round. The nest is a thin platform of twigs, placed in a scrub or tree with dense foliage. The female lays a single white egg, which is incubated for about 19 days. The chicks obtain their full plumage in 2 weeks, but there is no information regarding the length of the fledging period.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a relatively large breeding range and is described as common in lowland forest and less common at higher altitudes. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.