Papuan mountain pigeon
The Papuan mountain pigeon (Gymnophaps albertisii) is a species of bird in the pigeon family, Columbidae. It is found in the Bacan Islands, New Guinea, the D'Entrecasteaux Islands, and the Bismarck Archipelago, where it inhabits primary forest, montane forest, and lowlands. It is a medium-sized species of pigeon, being long and weighing on average. Adult males have slate-grey upperparts, chestnut-maroon throats and bellies, whitish breasts, and a pale grey terminal tail band. The lores and orbital region are bright red. Females are similar, but have grayish breasts and grey edges to the throat feathers. The Papuan mountain pigeon is frugivorous, feeding on figs and drupes. It breeds from October to March in the Schrader Range, but may breed throughout the year across its range. It builds nests out of sticks and twigs in a tree or makes a ground nest in short dry grass, and lays a single egg. The species is very social and is usually seen in flocks of 10–40 birds, although some groups can have as many as 80 individuals. It is listed as being of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on the IUCN Red List due to its large range and lack of significant population decline. Taxonomy and systematics The Papuan mountain pigeon was described as Gymnophaps albertisii by the Italian zoologist Tommaso Salvadori in 1874 on the basis of specimens from Andai, New Guinea. It is the type species of the genus Gymnophaps, which was created for it. The generic name is derived from the Ancient Greek words (), meaning 'bare', and (), meaning 'pigeon'. The specific name albertisii is in honour of Luigi D'Albertis, an Italian botanist and zoologist who worked in the East Indies and New Guinea. Papuan mountain pigeon is the official common name designated by the International Ornithologists' Union. Other common names for the species include mountain pigeon (which is also used for Gymnophaps pigeons in general), bare-eyed mountain pigeon, bare-eyed pigeon (which is also used for Patagioenas corensis), and D'Albertis's mountain pigeon. The Papuan mountain pigeon is one of four species in the mountain pigeon genus Gymnophaps in the pigeon family Columbidae, which is found in Melanesia and the Maluku Islands. It forms a superspecies with the other species in its genus. Within its family, the genus Gymnophaps is sister to Lopholaimus, and these two together form a clade sister to Hemiphaga. The Papuan mountain pigeon has two subspecies: G. a. albertisii Salvadori, 1874: The nominate subspecies, it is found on Yapen, New Britain, New Ireland, Fergusson Island, Goodenough Island, and the mountains of New Guinea. G. a. exsul Hartert, 1903: It is found on the Bacan Islands. Individuals are larger and darker than those of the nominate subspecies, while the head is entirely slate in color, without the chestnut-maroon chins, throats, and ears of nominate males. Description The Papuan mountain pigeon is a medium-sized pigeon that is long and weighs on average. It has a slender appearance with a long tail and wings.