Golden Dove
Encyclopedia
The Golden Fruit Dove also known as the Lemon Dove or Yellow Dove, is a small, approximately 20 cm (8 in) long, short-tailed fruit-dove
in the family Columbidae
. The common name
refers to the males' bright golden-yellow colour. The body feathers appear almost iridescent due to their elongated shape and hair-like texture. The head is slightly duller with a greenish tinge. The bill
, orbital skin and legs are bluish-green and the iris
is whitish. The underwings and tail coverts are yellow. The female is a dark green bird with bare parts resembling those of the male. The young resembles female.
The Golden Fruit Dove is distributed and endemic
to forests of Viti Levu
, Ovalau
, Gau
, Beqa
and Waya group islands of Fiji
. The diet consists mainly of various small fruits, berries and insects. The female usually lays a single white egg
.
The Golden Fruit Dove is closely related to the allopatric Whistling Fruit Dove and Orange Fruit Dove.
A common species throughout its limited range, the Golden Fruit Dove is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List
of Threatened Species.
Fruit-dove
The fruit doves are a genus in the pigeon and dove family . These colourful, frugivorous doves are found in forests and woodlands in Southeast Asia and Oceania...
in the family Columbidae
Dove
Pigeons and doves constitute the bird family Columbidae within the order Columbiformes, which include some 300 species of near passerines. In general terms "dove" and "pigeon" are used somewhat interchangeably...
. The common name
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
refers to the males' bright golden-yellow colour. The body feathers appear almost iridescent due to their elongated shape and hair-like texture. The head is slightly duller with a greenish tinge. The bill
Beak
The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which is used for eating and for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, courtship and feeding young...
, orbital skin and legs are bluish-green and the iris
Iris (anatomy)
The iris is a thin, circular structure in the eye, responsible for controlling the diameter and size of the pupils and thus the amount of light reaching the retina. "Eye color" is the color of the iris, which can be green, blue, or brown. In some cases it can be hazel , grey, violet, or even pink...
is whitish. The underwings and tail coverts are yellow. The female is a dark green bird with bare parts resembling those of the male. The young resembles female.
The Golden Fruit Dove is distributed and endemic
Endemism in birds
An endemic bird area is a region of the world that contains two or more restricted-range species, while a "secondary area" contains one or more restricted-range species. Both terms were devised by Birdlife International....
to forests of Viti Levu
Viti Levu
Viti Levu is the largest island in the Republic of Fiji, the site of the nation's capital, Suva, and home to a large majority of Fiji's population.- Geography and economy :...
, Ovalau
Ovalau
Ovalau is the sixth largest island in Fiji's Lomaiviti Archipelago. Situated at 17.70° South and 178.8° East, , the island is about 13 kilometers long and 10 kilometers wide...
, Gau
Gau Island
Gau is an island belonging to Fiji's Lomaiviti Archipelago. Located at 18.00° S and 179.30 °E, it covers an area of 136.1 square kilometers, with a total shoreline of 66.3 kilometers, making it the 5th largest island in the Fijian archipelago. Its maximum altitude is 738 meters...
, Beqa
Beqa
Beqa is an island in Fiji, an outlier to the main island of Viti Levu, 10 kilometers to the south. The island has a land area of 36 square kilometers and reaches a maximum altitude of 462 meters.-Tradition:...
and Waya group islands of Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
. The diet consists mainly of various small fruits, berries and insects. The female usually lays a single white egg
Bird egg
Bird eggs are laid by females and incubated for a time that varies according to the species; a single young hatches from each egg. Average clutch sizes range from one to about 17...
.
The Golden Fruit Dove is closely related to the allopatric Whistling Fruit Dove and Orange Fruit Dove.
A common species throughout its limited range, the Golden Fruit Dove is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
of Threatened Species.
External links
- BirdLife Species Factsheet
- IUCN Red List
- Photo of a male Golden Dove by Bill Beckon International Dove Society.