Stephan's Emerald Dove

About the Stephan's Emerald Dove

Stephan's emerald dove, also known as Stephan's dove (Chalcophaps stephani), is a species of bird in the pigeon family Columbidae. Formally described by the French zoologist Jacques Pucheran in 1853, the dove is named after Étienne Jacquinot, the father of the French naturalist Honoré Jacquinot. The emerald dove has a large range in Indonesia and Melanesia, stretching from Sulawesi and Taliabu east through most of lowland New Guinea and its satellite islands to the Admiralty Islands, Bismarck Archipelago, and Solomon Islands. It is a forest-dwelling species that is usually seen in inland rainforests, although it can inhabit other wooded habitats like scrubby coconut plantations and coastal forests if competing species like the common emerald dove are absent. Stephan's emerald doves migrate locally in response to local climactic conditions and food availability.

The dove is mainly frugivorous, foraging on the forest floor for fallen fruits, seeds, and occasionally insects and other invertebrates. In New Guinea, the breeding season last from January to May during the wet season. The nest is a flimsy structure made of twigs, containing two cream or pale yellowish eggs. Stephan's emerald is listed as being of least concern on the IUCN Red List due to its large range and stable population. The species is fairly common throughout its range and is especially common on smaller islands in the Bismarck Archipelago. Wikipedia →