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Superb Fruit-Dove

(Ptilinopus superbus)
Size: 22-24 cm

Habitat
(for details refer to a field guide)

Superb Fruit-Doves populate a narrow strip along the entire east coast of the Australian continent, from the tip of Cape York to the south-eastern tip. Occasionally they are also found on the east coast of Tasmania.

Their preferred habitat is rain forest, but they will search for fruit in more open forests as well.

Habitat
(for details refer to a field guide)

Sightings

This bird appeared at our place, 20 km south of Narrabri, NSW, only once (around March 2005), when the (bad) photo below was taken.

It is a pigeon or dove, grey front and head, dark-green wings with dark-grey and yellow pattern, yellow tail tips and undertail. The next morning it turned up dead near the house, killed most likely by a feral cat. We think that it must have been a female Superb Fruit-Dove that made it over the Great Dividing Range from the coastline of QLD or northern NSW.

Photos

Quick shot of a female Superb Fruit-Dove(?) sighted south of Narrabri

Food

All pigeons and doves are strictly vegetarian. Superb Fruit-Doves are fruit-eaters.

These pages are largely based on our own observations. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.