Orange fruit dove

Appearance

The legs, bill and orbital skin are bluish-green and the iris is whitish. The female is a dark green bird with blackish tail and orange-yellow undertail coverts. The young resemble females.

Naming

There are two recognised subspecies. Intermediates between the subspecies exist.

⤷  "P. v. victor" : The nominate subspecies, it is found on Vanua Levu, Taveuni, Kioa, and Rabi. Populations from Laucala and Taveuni are also sometimes included, but they are intermediate and may be better treated as part of "aureus".
⤷  "P. v. aureus" Amadon, 1943: Found on Qamea and Laucala. Males are larger than those of the nominate, with yellower wings and paler heads.

Distribution

The orange dove is endemic to Fiji, where it inhabits forests on the islands of Vanua Levu, Taveuni, Rabi, Kioa, Qamea and Laucala.

Behavior

The orange fruit dove is not very social and usually lives alone or in pairs, or less frequently in small groups or in pairs of two females. Flocks of up to seven birds have been recorded in one tree. Its flight is quick and straight, with whirring wingbeats.

Habitat

It inhabits woodland like other species in the subgenus "Chrysoena". It prefers open forests, including secondary and gallery forest, but is also common in closed-canopy old-growth forest. The species is submontane and occurs at elevations of 420–980 m, but its absence in lowlands may be caused by a lack of suitable habitat due to deforestation instead of elevation.

Reproduction

Nesting has been observed in June, September, November, and December, suggesting that the orange fruit dove's breeding season is extended. Nests are flimsy platforms of made of a few intertwined sticks, usually placed low down on a tree in the subcanopy, with one nest observed at a height of 2.5 m. Clutches usually contain a single white egg, although some have been recorded with two eggs. Only females have been observed incubating eggs and taking care of chicks.

Food

The species is mainly frugivorous, feeding on small fruits and berries with a diameter of 4–7 mm. It has also been observed gleaning invertebrates like caterpillars from leaves. Foraging mostly occurs in the upper canopy and understorey, and flocks at fruits trees are rarely larger than usual ones.