Named for the British Monarch Queen Victoria, the Victoria Crowned Pigeon is without doubt a royal bird. Its dusty blue-grey feathers may remind one of the pigeons found on any city street, but the Crowned Pigeon’s elegant blue lace crest, scarlet eyes, and rakish black mask are unlike anything you’ll find pecking around in the…
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The Pied Imperial-Pigeon is a very large inhabitant of coastal forests, mangroves and coconut plantations, principally on islands in the Indo-Malayan region. This species travels in flocks at dusk and dawn and nests in colonies of up to tens of thousands of birds. They are among the most powerful and agile flyers in the bird…
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The closest living relative to the now extinct Dodo, the Nicobar Pigeon occurs only on small wooded, often uninhabited islands of the Indo-Malayan region, where it favors lowland habitats such as mangroves, scrub, and lowland and foothill forests. It may also occur in some forests which have been selectively logged. This species nests colonially, with…
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The Mariana Fruit-Dove is a beautiful bird from the Pacific islands. This species is found in various types of forested habitat, but prefers mature native forest where it typically feeds on fruits in the canopy, but may descend to feed in bushes, or even on the ground. They are a secretive species, rarely spotted, and…
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The beautiful Luzon Bleeding-heart gets its name for the scarlet markings on its chest. Found throughout primary and secondary forests in the Philippines, the Luzon Bleeding-heart feeds on seeds, berries, and insects along the forest floor. Their call is a mournful coo. The species is generally considered rare or scarce, and is considered to be…
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The Grey-capped Emerald Dove, also called the Asian Emerald Dove or the Green-winged Dove, is found in a wide range of forest types, including rainforests, mangroves, and bamboo forests, throughout Southeast Asia. This “pretty pigeon” has very bold, irridescent green wings. Males have a distinctive grey crown and shimmery wings, while females are duller. They…
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Black-naped Fruit-Doves are colorful birds, common on the islands of Java, Bali, and Sulawesi. Males are a rainbow of colors, with a yellow throat patch, purplish wing tips, red undertail feathers, and a silvery head topped with a black cap. Females are almost entirely green. They forage for berries and fruits in pairs or small…
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The Beautiful Fruit-Dove is appropriately named! This dove has gorgeous coloring, from its purplish-red crown to its green wings and orange underbelly. The Beautiful Fruit-Dove is found in New Guinea, where it lives in all levels of primary and secondary forests, from understory to canopy. They are frugivorous (fruit-eating), and forage either alone or in…
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The Palawan Peacock-pheasant is a gorgeous bird with vibrant plumage; males have bright blue accents while females have striking markings and less colorful plumage. The spots on their feathers resemble eyes and may help scare away predators. Males use their remarkable plumage in an elaborate courtship display. Palawan Peacock-pheasants are strictly monogamous, and both males…
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A fabulously majestic resident of tall, dry, primary, and secondary forests of the Indo-Malayan region, the Great Argus forages solitarily for fruit, seeds, flowers, and invertebrates on the forest floor. The bird’s taxonomic and common names both derive from Argus, the hundred-eyed giant, from Greek mythology (a reference to the many eye-like spots on the…
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The Vietnam Pheasant, also called the Edwards’s Pheasant, is a little-known species which may be Extinct in the Wild. It has not been observed in the wild since 2000 and is currently listed as Critically Endangered. Much of the species’ potential habitat was destroyed as a result of herbicide use during the Vietnam War, and…
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The Crested Partridge is a fairly small, quail-like bird; its short tail adds to a rotund appearance. A native of low elevation, broad-leaved evergreen and dense primary forests, the Crested Partridge consumes a variety of seeds, large fruits, large beetles, ants, and snails. This species is considered Vulnerable because of habitat lost to logging and…
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