The prettiest bird in the rainforest… who, who?

Article courtesy of Lennox Head Landcare

by S Web

Is the Rose-crowned fruit dove the prettiest bird in the rainforest? There is no debating it’s one of the most colourful. It’s also one of the hardest to spot.

Prior to 1900, Rose-crowned fruit doves were abundant in rainforests around Lennox Head. Due to clearing (their habitat is classified ‘vulnerable’ in NSW) the birds are now only seen in dense remnants diverse enough to house their food source; fruits and seeds from vines, palms and figs.

Interestingly, the birds have adapted to dine on the fruit of invasive weeds like camphor laurel, privet, and even lantana. Recent clearing of these weeds has ironically further reduced their habitat.

We don’t know of any recent sightings around Lennox Head but maybe that’s about to change. They have been spotted in the rainforest at Broken Head, the melaleuca and vine forest at Chickiba Lake wetlands and Victoria Park ‘Big Scrub’ remnant, so they are nearby.

Lennox Head Landcare is helping re-establish, restore and preserve habitat for the Rose-crowned fruit dove with its rainforest regeneration work. If the dove returns, other pigeons like the Wompoo, Wonga, Top knot (don’t mistake it for the common Crested pigeon) and the Emerald fruit dove, may also become regular visitors.

Rose-crowned fruit doves mate for life and their small, twiggy, platform-nests house only one white egg. The nests are vulnerable to the elements and prone to predation so reproduction rates are unfortunately low. That combined with increasing urban development and inadequate habitat means they’ll never be prolific but, with a little luck, they and their cooing kith and kin will return.

So, how do we spot them?

Look high in the canopy; they are notoriously hard to see because their camouflage colours conceal them extremely well. Immature birds are leaf-green and the soft-coloured adult plumage (see image) blends in perfectly with the floral surrounds, background tones and dappled canopy light.

Their call (who, who) accelerates in descending notes, eight to fifteen times, that’s the key; you’ll hear them before you see them and, like other pigeons, they fly swiftly on whistling wings, another tell-tale sign.

So, grab your binoculars, point them into the treetops, listen ... who, who ... who is the prettiest bird in the forest? If you spot one, I reckon you might just agree with me.