Species information
Scientific name: Chalcophaps indica
Japanese name: キンバト
Chinese name: 翠翼鳩
English name: Asian emerald dove
Origin: South Asia, Southeast Asia, northern Australia, Ryukyu Islands (Miyakojima, Ishigaki, Iriomote, Hatomajima, Yonaguni)
Ecology and description
The Asian emerald dove is about 25cm long. Males have white feathers from the forehead to above the eye, while females have gray ones.
In Japan, the Asian emerald dove is a resident bird that lives in subtropical evergreen broadleaf forests and prefers dim woodland. It spends the day in dense forest, flying low among the trees, and near sunrise and sunset it flies out to forest roads, grasslands and farmland to feed. Its main food is seeds and fruit, and it occasionally eats insects. It builds its nest in a tree from small twigs and usually lays 2 eggs at a time.
References: Japanese Wikipedia
Miyakojima City Cultural Properties: キンバト
Biodiversity Center of Japan, Ministry of the Environment: キンバト
Field photographs taken during our tours, with observation dates
