| Pacific imperial pigeon | |
|---|---|
_Rarotonga.jpg) | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Columbiformes |
| Family: | Columbidae |
| Genus: | Ducula |
| Species: | D. pacifica |
| Binomial name | |
| Ducula pacifica (Gmelin, JF, 1789) | |
ThePacific imperial pigeon, Pacific pigeon, Pacific fruit pigeon orlupe (Ducula pacifica) is a widespreadpigeon species in the familyColumbidae. It is found inAmerican Samoa, theCook Islands, the smaller islands of easternFiji,Kiribati,Niue, the smaller satellite islands ofPapua New Guinea,Samoa,Solomon Islands,Tokelau,Tonga,Tuvalu,Vanuatu, andWallis and Futuna Islands.
The Pacific imperial pigeon wasformally described in 1789 by the German naturalistJohann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition ofCarl Linnaeus'sSystema Naturae. He placed it with all the other doves and pigeons in thegenusColumba and coined thebinomial nameColumba pacifica.[2] Gmelin based his description on the "Ferruginous-vented pigeon" from the "Friendly Isles in the South Seas" (now theTonga Islands in the South Pacific) that had been described in 1783 by English ornithologistJohn Latham.[3] The Pacific imperial pigeon is now placed with 40 other Imperial pigeons in the genusDucula that was introduced in 1836 by the English naturalistBrian Houghton Hodgson.[4][5] The genus nameDucula is from the Latindux genitiveducis meaning "leader".[6]
Twosubspecies are recognised:[5]
The Pacific imperial pigeon is 36–41 cm (14–16 in) in overall length and weighs 370–420 g (13–15 oz). The back, tail and wings are blackish-green, the head and neck are light grey. The breast is grey with a pinkish tinge. The undertail coverts are brown. The bill is black with a knob on the upper mantle. The iris is red. The female is slightly smaller. The juvenile lacks the knob on the bill, is duller and lacks the pink on the breast.[7]
Its naturalhabitats are tropical moist lowlandforests on smaller islands and tropical moistmontane forest on larger islands. It will travel across parts of its range between islands to forage. Individuals may gather to form large flocks in fruiting trees and travel some distances to forage.
The species is frugivorous, taking a number of different species of fruit, and occasionally leaves and flowers.[7] In a study conducted in Tonga, Pacific imperial pigeons consumed the fruit of 38 species of plant across 24 families. They feed in individual trees for between 1-50 minutes, and generally travel short distances between trees, but can occasionally travel longer distances and even travel several km across water to other islands. The seeds of these plant foods are not digested or damaged, making the species an importantseed disperser for the forests they occur in.[8]
Pairsnest in high trees, constructing a concealed, unlined untidy nest of twigs. Usually a single egg is laid, withincubation being undertaken by both sexes.[7]
The species has suffered fromhabitat loss and hunting pressure, and has declined locally in some areas, but it remains common over much of its range, and is listed as least concern by theIUCN. It is most vulnerable in smaller islands. It was hunted in prehistoric times in Tonga and Samoa with elaborate traps on stone platforms, and these hunts were of considerable cultural significance.
In Niue this breed is called a Lupe. It is a delicacy for the locals. It is now protected but people still hunt them. It is unknown where they breed or come from as no evidence of their nests have ever been found in Niue.
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