The pied imperial pigeon (Ducula bicolor) is a relatively large, pied species of pigeon. It is found in forest, woodland, mangrove, plantations and scrub in Southeast Asia, ranging from Myanmar and Thailand, throughout Indonesia and east to the Philippines (where it is locally called as camasu and balud-puti) and the Bird’s Head Peninsula in New Guinea. It is mainly found on small islands and in coastal regions.
Description: The Pied Imperial-Pigeon is a large distinctive black and white pigeon, mostly white but with black on the outerparts of its wings and on its tail tip and black bars on the underside of its tail. The beak is yellow or yellow-green and legs and feet are blue-grey. This bird is also known as the Torresian Imperial Pigeon, Torres Strait Pigeon, White Nutmeg-Pigeon, Nutmeg Pigeon, Spice Pigeon, or Australian Pied Imperial-Pigeon.
Distribution: The Pied Imperial-Pigeon is found from the western Bay of Bengal eastward to the Philippines and south through Indonesia and New Guinea to northern Australia. In northern Australia it is found in the Kimberleys area, in the Top End of the Northern Territory, across Cape York Peninsula and along the east Queensland coast from Torres Strait south to about Rockhampton. Some authors treat the birds found in Australia as a separate species compared to those found at the western end of its range.
Habitat: This pigeon is found on offshore islands and the mainland of northern and north-eastern Australia. It is found in a variety of wooded habitats, such as mangroves, rain forest and in forests of Eucalyptus and Melaleuca. It avoids the more arid parts of the Top End but does penetrate inland along major rivers.
Feeding: Pied Imperial-Pigeons are fruit eaters, eating from tropical trees, palms, vines and bushes. They feed in the dense canopies of trees but occasionally near the ground in shrubs or small trees. The birds that breed or roost on islands usually fly to the mainland to feed, travelling in flocks which disperse to feed on reaching land. They usually stay near the coast. On the mainland they normally forage in singly in pairs or in groups up to 20 birds.
Breeding: In Queensland Pied Imperial-Pigeons nest in small to large colonies (up to tens of thousands) on offshore islands and sometimes on the mainland. Elsewhere, including mainland Queensland their nests are solitary. The birds nest in mangroves, forest or scrub, sometimes even on rocks or bare ground. The nest itself can be a loosely woven platform of sticks or a large dense platform with a central depression made of small twigs. The nest material is collected from vegetation near the nest. When nesting on the ground they do not build a nest but gradually encircle the nesting site with mounds of excreted seeds from fruit they have eaten. Pied Imperial-Pigeons lay up to three clutches of eggs per season. Both male and female incubate the eggs on alternate days and both brood and feed the chicks, again on alternate days.
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