General Information
These birds were abundant in Cairns, Australia but were subject to mass slaughter in the 19th Century because they were thought as pests. Populations rapidly dropped but are now growing again due to their protected status in Australia, where there are now an estimated 30,000.
Physical Description
The Pied Imperial-pigeon is a large plump pigeon 14-17.6 inches in length, with an 18 in wingspan. It is entirely white apart from its black flight and tail feathers. The head can be brown, and is normally soiled from eating fruit. Its flight is fast and direct, with regular beats and an occasional sharp flick of the wings, which are characteristic of pigeons in general. Males that try to give a display will fly up steeply, pause, and tip forward and then glide downwards.
Diet
This is an arboreal dove that feeds almost exclusively on fruit. It can swallow fruits with very large seeds, that they will later regurgitate or execrete whole, after the pulp has been removed. This does depend on the size of the seed; a seed too big can't be dealt with in that manner.
Habitat
The Pied Imperial pigeon is a widespread breeding bird mainly on small islands adjoining the Indian Ocean from the Nicobars to New Guinea. It is also found in Northern Australia coastal areas starting at the Kimberlies to the Great Barrier Reef. They can generally be found in rainforests, eucalyptus woodland, coastal scrubs, creeks, rivers, mangroves and islands.
Reproduction
It builds an untidy stick nest in a tree, usually a coconut palm and lays a single white egg. The egg will hatch within 23 to 25 days and fledge after another 3 weeks. In Australia, they breed between August and January in mangroves, vines, and palms on off shore islands. In North-east Queensland, they migrate daily as flocks from the islands to the mainland rainforests to eat fruit and return upon dusk.
