Pheasant Pigeon

The pheasant pigeon resembles a pheasant in external morphology, particularly in its laterally compressed tail and rounded wings. They have glossy black heads, undersides, rears and lower backs, and short rounded brown wings, and a white, green, grey, or black nape depending on the subspecies. The pheasant pigeon has filled the ecological niche of a partridge or small pheasant (while the larger Goura crowned pigeons have a lifestyle similar to larger pheasants, grouse or turkeys). It is a highly secretive species, feeding on seeds and fallen fruits. It inhabits hill and montane areas, however, it is also known to inhabit lower altitudes. It nests on the ground below trees and bushes, laying one egg that it incubates for around four weeks. Both adults incubate and look after the young, feeding regurgitated crop milk to their young (a common practice for most pigeons). They have a range of calls including a drilling-like sound, a typical pigeon cooing call and a loud "wu-huwoooooa" call that rises and falls in pitch before trailing off at the end. They are found in rainforest habitats, eating fallen fruits and seeds, in the Aru Islands. As they avoid human settlements, the little that is known about their behavior comes from observation at zoos.