Rose-crowned Fruit-dove - profile
Scientific name: Ptilinopus regina
Conservation status in NSW: Vulnerable

Description
Rose-crowned Fruit-doves are small, colourful rainforest pigeons to 24 cm in length. Males have a rose crown edged with yellow, and the head and breast are blue-grey, spotted white. The upper parts are grey-green, the tail-tip yellow and the abdomen are orange. Females are mostly grey-green. The call is a loud, explosive, repeated ‘hookcoo’ which becomes faster and on declining notes as a rapid ‘coocoocoocoocoo’.

Location and habitat
Distribution
Coast and ranges of eastern NSW and Queensland, from Newcastle to Cape York. Vagrants are occasionally found further south to Victoria.



Habitat and ecology
Rose-crowned Fruit-doves occur mainly in sub-tropical and dry rainforest and occasionally in moist eucalypt forest and swamp forest, where fruit is plentiful.
They are shy pigeons, not easy to see amongst the foliage, and are more often heard than seen.
They feed entirely on fruit from vines, shrubs, large trees and palms, and are thought to be locally nomadic as they follow the ripening of fruits.
Some populations are migratory in response to food availability - numbers in north-east NSW increase during spring and summer then decline in April or May.
Regional information
This species is found in the following catchment management authority regions. Click on a region name to see more details about the distribution, vegetation types and habitat preference of the species in that region.

Hawkesbury/Nepean
Hunter/Central Rivers
Northern Rivers

Threats
Clearing and fragmentation of low to mid-elevation rainforest.
Logging and roading in moist eucalypt forest with well-developed rainforest understorey.
Burning of remnant rainforest habitat.
Invasion of habitat by introduced weed species
Removal of Camphor Laurel food source without appropriate mitigation measures.
Recovery strategies
Priority actions are the specific, practical things that must be done to recover a threatened species, population or ecological community. The Department of Environment and Conservation has identified 19 priority actions to help recover the Rose-crowned Fruit-dove in New South Wales.

What needs to be done to recover this species?
Support local Landcare groups.
Protect remnant rainforest patches during burning off activities.
Retain forested corridors that link north-south and east-west migration routes.
Encourage and initiate weed control programs.
Ensure Camphor Laurel removal is accompanied by replacement with local native laurel species.
Protect known and potential food trees.
Protect remnant stands of rainforest and moist forest from clearing or development.
Initiate and support rainforest regeneration projects
DEC | NSW threatened species - Rose-crowned Fruit-dove


! Rose-Crowned Fruit-Dove ! Tropical Rainforest, North Queensland, Australia
Rose-crowned Fruit Dove

BW

such lovely birds