Cloven-feathered Dove
Drepanoptila holosericea
-22.1834, 166.502
Field Notes
Description:
This medium sized (28 -30cm) dove is generally a bright green over the head, neck, upper breast, back, wings and tail. The wings and tail have silvery white bars on them. The belly to the vent is bright lemon yellow and there is a black stripe running across the lower breast with a white pin stripe above that. The legs have white feathers covering them down to red feet and they also have a small white throat patch running down into the upper breast.
Habitat:
Endemic to New Caledonia, and found on the islands of Grande Terre and Iles des Pins. This adult bird was seen in reserve area a few kms out of Noumea. Found in humid forest in hill country in the canopy. I heard these birds far more often than I saw them and even then views were usually obscured by thick foliage.
Notes:
The name comes from the notched wing feathers that give this bird a very distinctive sound when it flies. Not that uncommon, it is classed as near threatened and is hunted for food by the local people and the general trend seems to be the population in slow decline. Ref: HBW Live.
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