Pheasant pigeon

The genus name makes reference to its similarities to the bustard family (Otidae). Its common name reflects its adaptation to living on the forest floor in the fashion of a South East Asian pheasant.

The pheasant pigeon resembles a pheasant in external morphology, particularly in its laterally compressed tail and the rounded wings. No galliform birds occur in New Guinea, and the pheasant pigeon has filled the ecological niche of a partridge or small pheasant (while the larger Goura crowned pigeons have a lifestyle similar to larger pheasants, grouse or turkeys). It is a highly secretive species, feeding on seeds and fallen fruits. It nests on the ground below trees and bushes, laying one egg that it incubates for around four weeks.

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  O. n. nobilis
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  O. n. nobilis in a zoo
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  O. n. insularis
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  Captive O. n. aruensis (vulnerable)

The green-naped pheasant pigeon (nominate subspecies) and the grey-naped pheasant pigeon are not considered threatened, although the black-naped pheasant pigeon is considered endangered and the white-naped pheasant pigeon is vulnerable. Because it is tied to primary forests, and is unique within the pigeon family, it is considered a genus that requires further investigation and monitoring.

• del Hoyo, Elliott and Sargatal (editors); Handbook of the Birds of the World, Vol 4. ISBN 84-87334-22-9

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