Many-colored fruit dove
A fruit dove of the south-west Pacific islands.
The many-colored fruit dove (Ptilinopus perousii), called manuma in Samoan, belongs to the Columbidae family, which includes all doves and pigeons. It lives on islands across the southwestern Pacific, specifically in Fiji, the Samoan Islands, and Tonga, and today is most common in Fiji and Tonga. Its natural home is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, where it usually feeds high in the canopy on fruit and berries, particularly banyan figs. The nest is a small platform of twigs, and the female lays a single white egg.
This small dove measures about 23 cm (9.1 in) long and weighs around 90 g (3.2 oz). Males are mostly pale yellow-white, with a red crown and a red bar across the back. Females are mostly green, darker on the back and greyer on the head and breast, with a red crown; their undertail coverts are red in Samoan birds and yellow in those from Fiji and Tonga. The male of the subspecies *Ptilinopus perousii perousii* is pale underneath and yellow on top, with a crimson band and crown. The female resembles the purple-capped fruit dove but lacks a yellow band, has grey underparts, green upperparts, and only a crimson crown, unlike the male.
Taxonomically, the many-colored fruit dove is a fruit dove of the genus *Ptilinopus*, but it is quite distant from most other doves and has no close relatives, as it is endemic to South Pacific islands. There are two subspecies: *Ptilinopus perousii mariae*, found in Fiji and Tonga, and *P. p. perousii*. Its English name is literal—a many-colored dove that eats fruit. The Samoan name *manuma* means "shy bird," from the Samoan words for bird and shame. The Latin name honors Captain Jean Francois de Galaup Comte de la Pérouse of the French navy, who explored the Pacific.
The manuma is found across many islands and archipelagos in Polynesia, with a range of 660,000 square kilometers (250,000 sq mi). It inhabits lowland subtropical and tropical broadleaf forests, staying in the canopy, and can also be found in urban areas. Its fossil record extends from 0.12 million years ago to the present, entirely within the Quaternary period.
As a frugivore, it forages in tree canopies for figs, especially banyan figs in Samoa and American Samoa. This strict diet helps keep the two fig species in check, but any decline in fig availability could be disastrous for the dove. In Fiji and Tonga, it also eats fruits of ylang y
- Scientific name
- Ptilinopus perousii
- Length
- 23 cm (9.1 in)
- Weight
- 90 g (3.2 oz)
- Family
- Columbidae
- Subspecies
- P. p. perousii and P. p. mariae
- Range
- 660,000 square kilometres (250,000 sq mi)
- Fossil range
- 0.12 million years ago to today
Lore & Background
The many-colored fruit dove is a frugivore that forages high in the canopy, feeding primarily on fruit and berries, especially banyan fig. On Fiji and Tonga, it also eats fruits of ylang ylang, bishop wood, and māgele. Its nest is a small platform of twigs where one white egg is laid. The birds are often found in small flocks, with more males than females in each flock.
Reader's Guide
The many-colored fruit dove is significant as an endemic species of the south-west Pacific, with a range spanning Fiji, the Samoan Islands, and Tonga. Though not listed as threatened by the IUCN, its population is in decline in American Samoa. In the 1970s, a survey found around 80 individuals on Tutuila; by the 1990s, that number had dropped to 50. The decline is attributed to deforestation, storm damage to banyan trees (its chief food source), and accidental hunting by those targeting other pigeons. Cyclone Val and Cyclone Ofa in the 1990s killed or damaged many banyan trees. A captive breeding project was initiated by biologists with the American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources, Pacific Bird Conservation, and the Toledo Zoo. The species' Samoan name, manuma, means 'shy bird,' reflecting its behavior.
Did You Know?
- The male many-colored fruit dove is mostly pale yellow-white with a red crown and red bar across the back.
- The female has red undertail-coverts in Samoan birds, but yellow undertail-coverts in birds from Fiji and Tonga.
- Its Latin name honors Captain Jean Francois de Galaup Comte de la Pérouse of the French navy.
- More than a quarter of hunters interviewed by American Samoa officials reported accidentally shooting a many-colored fruit dove.
More in Birds of the Pacific Ocean 1-24
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