Jan 8

Bird of the day

Scarlet-breasted fruit dove

Ptilinopus bernsteinii

The scarlet-breasted fruit dove (Ptilinopus bernsteinii) is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to Indonesia, where it occurs in the northern Moluccas. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is rated as a species of least concern on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Endangered Species. In 1863 Hermann Schlegel named the new species for one of his collectors, Heinrich Agathon Bernstein.

The scarlet-breasted fruit dove is a small or medium-sized bird, measuring 29 centimetres (11 in) in length. It has a grey head which has a green wash. The rest of the upperparts and breast are bright green in colour. The male is patched with bright scarlet, at the middle of the lower breast. It has an orange-yellow belly, and chestnut undertail coverts. The underwing coverts are also orange-yellow.

Aliases

Ptilinopus bernsteinii