The Kimberley and the Top End east to the Sir Edward Pellew islands, Gulf of Carpentaria (ewingi) and from Cape York south to the Hunter River, NSW (regina). Vagrant to Victoria and Tasmania.
Nest
A flat, flimsy platform of twigs, usually less than 5 - 6 cm in diameter, on a small outer horizontal fork in a tree, usually less than 10 meters above the ground.
Eggs (Guide)
1; smooth, glossy, white; ellipsoidal; about 30 x 21 mm. Incubation: about 17 days; by both sexes.
Young
Fledge in 11 - 12 days.
Subspecies
Considered to belong to the large Grey-green Fruit-dove (Ptilinopus purpuratus) species-group, though its position within this large assemblage is unclear. Very similar to Mariana Fruit-dove (Ptilinopus roseicapilla). Precise limits of some subspecies uncertain, and whole of internal taxonomy may require reappraisal.
In Australia, a small western subspecies (ewingii) with pale pink cap, yellow-green back and yellow-orange belly, and larger eastern subspecies (regina) with magenta cap, deep green back and magenta and orange belly.
The following 5 subspecies are recognised:
regina Swainson, 1825 - Eastern Australia from islands of Torres Strait to mid-northern NSW.
ewingii Gould, 1842 - Kimberley Divide, WA and Top End, NT, east to south-western Gulf of Carpentaria.
flavicollis Bonaparte, 1855 - Lesser Sundas (Flores, Roti, Sawu, Semau and western Timor).
xanthogaster (Wagler, 1827) - Banda, Watubela, Tayandu and Kai, Sermata, Damar, Teun, Nila, Babar and Taninmbar.
Similar Species
Superb Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus superbus) which has patchy white and green underparts, the male having a black breastband and the female a dark blue crown and Wompoo Fruit-Dove (Megaloprepia magnifica) which has a purple breast cut off by yellow underparts and a grey undertail lacking a yellow tip.
Compare Images
The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9
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BirdLife International Species Factsheet