Grey-green fruit dove

Grey-green fruit dove
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Columbiformes
Family:	Columbidae
Genus:	Ptilinopus
Species:	P. purpuratus
Binomial name
Ptilinopus purpuratus (Gmelin, 1789)

The grey-green fruit dove (Ptilinopus purpuratus) is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to the Society Islands in French Polynesia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

Distribution and Population

The grey-green fruit dove is endemic to the French Polynesian islands of Tahiti and Mo'orea. There is an estimated population of 2,500 to 10,000 mature individual birds on the two islands, of which 5,000 - 6,000 live on Mo'orea, at an estimated density of 2-3 birds per hectare.

There are three subspecies:

• P. p. chrysogaster Gray, GR, 1854 – Raiatea fruit-dove (w. Society Islands)
• P. p. frater Ripley & Birckhead, 1942 – Moorea Island. (e Society Is.)
• P. p. purpuratus (Gmelin, JF, 1789) – Tahiti (e Society Is.)

Threats

In 1907, the grey-green fruit dove was reportedly very abundant on the two islands. However the population has declined since then. There is an ongoing slow population decline due to habitat destruction, the introduction of non-native plants, predation by invasive species such as the swamp harrier and feral cats, and competition by invasive red-vented bulbul and common myna.