Ptilinopus layardi

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crurotarsi
Divisio: Archosauria
Cladus: Avemetatarsalia
Cladus: Ornithodira
Subtaxon: Dinosauromorpha
Cladus: Dinosauriformes
Cladus: Dracohors
Cladus: Dinosauria
Ordo: Saurischia
Cladus: Eusaurischia
Subordo: Theropoda
Cladus: Neotheropoda
Cladus: Averostra
Cladus: Tetanurae
Cladus: Avetheropoda
Cladus: Coelurosauria
Cladus: Tyrannoraptora
Cladus: Maniraptoromorpha
Cladus: Maniraptoriformes
Cladus: Maniraptora
Cladus: Pennaraptora
Cladus: Paraves
Cladus: Eumaniraptora
Cladus: Avialae
Infraclassis: Aves
Cladus: Avebrevicauda
Cladus: Pygostylia
Cladus: Ornithothoraces
Cladus: Ornithuromorpha
Cladus: Carinatae
Parvclassis: Neornithes
Cohors: Neognathae
Cladus: Neoaves
Cladus: Columbimorphae
Ordo: Columbiformes

Familia: Columbidae
Subfamilia: Ptilinopinae
Genus: Ptilinopus
Species: Ptilinopus layardi
Name

Ptilinopus layardi Elliot, 1878
References

Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London Pt3 p.567. BHL
IUCN: Ptilinopus layardi (Near Threatened)

Vernacular names
Cymraeg: Turtur benfelen
English: Whistling Dove
español: Tilopo de la Kadavu
فارسی: کبوتر میوه‌خوار سوتزن
français: Ptilope de Layard
кырык мары: Сарикӓ вуян ала кӓдӹ
Nederlands: Geelkopjufferduif
norsk: Fløyelsfruktdue
پنجابی: مخملی کگی
svenska: kadavufruktduva

The whistling fruit dove or whistling dove (Ptilinopus layardi), also known as the velvet dove or yellow-headed dove, is a small fruit dove from Fiji. The species is endemic to the islands of Kadavu and Ono in the Kadavu Group in the south of Fiji.
Taxonomy

The whistling fruit dove is the most primitive of the "golden doves", a small subgroup of the genus Ptilinopus which includes two other small Fijian fruit doves, the golden fruit dove and the orange fruit dove. The group was once split into its own genus, Chrysoenas.
Description

The whistling fruit dove is a small dove (20 cm) that is sexually dimorphic in its velvety plumage. The plumage of the male is dark green with a yellow head and undertail coverts, the female lacks the yellow plumage. They are difficult to see in the forest canopy, but can be found due to their distinctive call, a clear rising whistle followed by a falling 'tinkle' [2]
Behaviour
Feeding

The species feeds on fruits in the forest canopy.
Breeding

The breeding of this species has not been studied much. A nest described in 1982 was a 'loose thin platform' constructed with twig-like vines 3 m above the ground (Beckon 1982). A single nestling was described. Only the female took care of the young. If this pattern of parental care is widespread in the golden dove group to which the whistling dove belongs, it represents an unusual adaption within the pigeon family. This difference in the levels of parental care was suggested as an explanation of the sexual dimorphism in the golden doves.
Conservation

The whistling fruit dove is considered near threatened by the IUCN. The species is currently common in the forests of Kadavu and Ono, with an estimated population of 10,000 birds (BirdLife International 2006). However it has a restricted range and it is declining due to habitat loss.
References

BirdLife International (2012). "Ptilinopus layardi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.

Pratt et al. (1987).

Beckon, W (1982) "A breeding record of the Whistling Dove of Kadavu, Fiji" Notornis 29(1): 1-7 [1]
BirdLife International (2006) Species factsheet: Ptilinopus layardi. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 17/9/2006
Pratt, H., Bruner, P & Berrett, D. (1987) The Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific Princeton University Press:Princeton ISBN 0-691-08402-5