ANIMAL: White-Naped Pheasant Pigeon Otidiphaps aruensis Type of Animal: Pigeon/Dove Habitat: Rainforest Location(s): Aru Islands Appearance: Looks like a pheasant, white nape w/ small crest. Reddish feathers w/ maroon tail. Red eyes seen in both sexes. Food/Diet: Fruit, veggies, grains, seeds Status in Wild: Threatened Conservation: Breeding in zoos & aviculture Lifestyle: Monogamous pairs Additional Info: Called: Male-Cock Female-Hen Young-Squab Group-Pair Weight: 1.1 lbs Gestation: 28 days Height: 1.5 ft Body Length: 1.5 ft Life Span: Can live up to 30 years in captivity Tail Length: 0.75 ft Main predators of adults are monitor lizards & snakes. Chicks preyed on by pigs. They fill a niche in which Galliformes (Pheasants & the like) are not present. They’re completely terrestrial and lay nests in the ground. During courtship, male makes a wing-clap sound resembling the sound of a gun shot. Threatened due to habitat loss & wildlife trade. Long moaning coos carry long distance through forest. They also make drilling sounds, & loud “wu-huwoooooa” calls which rise & fall before trailing at end. They’re sedentary birds. Usually lay 1 egg at a time. Fun Fact(s): Quite shy in the wild but growing in popularity in aviculture. There’s still much to be learned about these secretive birds in the wild. Like many pigeons/doves, parents feed young regurgitated crop milk.
