| Subspecies | No. | Wing | Longest tail feather | Shortest tail feather | Exposed culmen | Depth culmen | Tarsus |
| Gygis alba alba | 24 | 246 | 99 | 71 | 40 | 8.0 | 14.5 |
| 239-256 | 93-111 | 68-77 | 35-44 | 7.5-9.0 | 13.0-16.5 | ||
| Gygis alba monte | 35 | 232 | 106 | 71 | 39 | 8.5 | 13.5 |
| 224-244 | 98-116 | 64-81 | 37-44 | 8.0-8.5 | 12.5-14.0 |
Peters (1934:348, 349) recognizes three other subspecies from the Pacific area: G. a. rothschildi Hartert from Laysan, Lisiansky, and Krusenstern islands; G. a. candida (Gmelin) from "the Carolines east to Christmas Island and south to the Tonga and Society Islands"; and G. a. royana Mathews from Norfolk and the Kermadec Islands. Birds from Revilla Gigedo, Cocos and Clipperton islands, although geographically isolated, are placed in G. a. candida. On the basis of a critical study of specimens at hand, the populations in the Pacific fit into three groups. Small birds, G. a. candida, are found in the North Pacific from the Bonins and Marianas east to Wake and the Hawaiian Chain and south to the Marshall, Phoenix, Christmas and the Fanning islands (see [figure 12]). Larger birds, G. a. pacifica, are found in the Central Pacific and South Pacific from the Carolines in the west southeastward through Melanesia and eastward through Samoa, to the Tuamotus and Easter to Cocos, Clipperton, and Revilla Gigedo islands. In the Southwest Pacific, at Norfolk and the Kermadec Islands, a longer-winged population occurs; it is separable as G. a. royana. The measurements of these birds are given in [table 24].
Table 24. Measurements of Gygis alba From the Pacific Area
The measurements indicate that there is a gradient in size from small in the north to large in the south; however, there is a definite separation in average measurements—ten millimeters in length of wing and four millimeters in length of exposed culmen—between the two populations which are designated as G. a. candida and G. a. pacifica. In studying material from Micronesia and the Hawaiian Islands, I (1948:57) pointed out the similarities between birds of the Marianas and the Hawaiians and separated these from terns found in the Caroline Islands. The systematic position of the White Tern in the Gilbert and Ellice islands will remain in doubt until specimens are available for examination.
G. a. royana is provisionally retained as the name for the Fairy Tern of the Kermadecs and Norfolk Island; there is considerable overlap in measurements between G. a. royana and G. a. pacifica. Measurements have given evidence of the degrees of structural resemblance of the White Terns of the different islands, but it is not certain that the groupings made on this basis are natural; more data is needed on ecology and life history. Of particular importance is to learn whether these birds fly regularly from island to island. On the basis of eleven months of rather continuous observation in Micronesia, I suspect that the White Tern has little tendency to make inter-island migrations. This might account for the differences in size in the populations at Guam in the Marianas (G. a. candida) and at Ulithi in the Carolines (G. a. pacifica) where only approximately 400 miles of open water separate the two islands. The occurrence of the distinct G. a. microrhyncha in the Marquesas may be accounted for by such nonmigratory behavior. Mayr (1945a:27), however, is of the opinion that White Terns found in the Bismarck Archipelago, the Solomons, Santa Cruz and New Hebrides islands may not breed there, which is another way of saying that they are migrants. Swarth (1934:221) and Murphy (1936:1268) record the wandering of the White Tern to the Galapagos Islands, probably from breeding grounds at Cocos Island. Swarth suggests that the tern is not established at the Galapagos because of the presence of colder water in the area. Murphy (1936:1166) is of the opinion that the South Atlantic White Terns are sedentary, but reports evidence of pelagic migration in the Pacific at the Kermadecs. The fact that G. alba is restricted in its distribution to widely separated groups of islands in tropical and subtropical areas of the South Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans may indicate that the birds at one time had a more extensive range than at present, probably including even coastal regions of the continents and large continental islands.
Gygis alba pacifica (Lesson)
White Tern
Sterna pacifica Lesson, Ann. Sci. Nat., 4, 1825, p. 101. (Type locality, Society Islands, Paumotu Islands, and Bora Bora.)
Sterna alba Kittlitz, Kupfertaf. Naturgesch. Vögel, 3, 1833, p. 28 (Carolinen); idem, Obser. Zool., in Lutké, Voy. "Le Séniavine," 3, 1836, pp. 286, 299, 308 (Ualan, Lougounor, Ouleai).
Gygis candida Hartlaub, Archiv f. Naturgesch., 18, 1852, p. 137 (Carolinen); Hartlaub, Journ. f. Ornith., 1854, p. 168 (Carolinen); Kittlitz, Denkw. Reise russ. Amer. Micron. und Kamchat., 1, 1858, p. 382, 2, 1858, pp. 39, 60 (Ualan); Gray, Cat. Birds Trop. Is. Pacific Ocean, 1859, p. 59 (Caroline Islands); Saunders (part), Cat. Birds British Mus., 25, 1896, p. 149 (Pelew, Carolines); Takatsukasa and Kuroda, Tori, 1, 1915, p. 51 (Ruk, Pelew).
Gygis alba Finsch and Hartlaub, Fauna Centralpolynesiens, 1867, p. 233 (Carolinen); Hartlaub, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1867 (1868), p. 832 (Pelew); Hartlaub and Finsch, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1868, pp. 9, 118 (Pelew); Finsch and Hartlaub, Journ. f. Ornith., 1870, p. 140 (Pelew); Hartlaub and Finsch, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1872, pp. 90, 114 (Pelew, Uap, Ualan); Gräffe, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 2, 1873, p. 123 (Yap); Finsch, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 8, 1875, pp. 6, 43 (Palau); idem, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 12, 1876, pp. 18, 40 (Ponapé); idem, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1877 (1878), p. 782 (Ponapé); idem, Journ. f. Ornith., 1880, pp. 295, 309 (Ponapé, Kuschai); idem, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1880, p. 577 (Ruk); idem, Ibis, 1881, pp. 105, 106, 109, 115, 246, 247 (Kushai, Ponapé); Schmeltz and Krause, Ethnogr. Abth. Mus. Godeffroy, 1881, pp. 299, 330, 353 (Mortlock, Nukuor, Ruk); Finsch, Mitth. Ornith. Ver. Wien, 1884, p. 52 (Kuschai); Wiglesworth (part), Abhandl. und Ber. Zool. Mus. Dresden, no. 6, 1890-1891 (1891), p. 78 (Pelew, Uap, Luganor, Nukuor, Ruk, Ponapé, Ualan); Oustalet (part), Nouv. Arch. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris, (3), 8, 1896, p. 58 (Palaos, Carolines); Baker (part), Smithson. Misc. Coll., vol. 107, no. 15, 1948, p. 57 (Peleliu, Ulithi, Truk, Kusaie).
Gygis alba kittlitzi Hartert, Katalog Vogelsamml. Senckenb., 1891, p. 237 (Type locality, Ulea = Wolea); idem, Novit. Zool., 7, 1900, p. 10 (Ruk); Dubois, Syn. Avium, 2, 1904, p. 1020 (Carolines); Mathews (part), Birds Australia, 2, 1912, p. 443 (Carolines); Ridgway (part), Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., 50, pt. 8, 1919, p. 559 (Carolines); Kuroda (part), Avifauna Riu Kiu, 1925, p. 193 (Carolines); Hand-list Japanese Birds (part), rev., 1932, p. 196 (Pelew, Yap, Wolea, Luganor, Ruk, Ponapé, Kusaie); Yamashina (part), Tori, 10, 1940, p. 678 (Babelthuap).
Gygis albus kittlitzi Kuroda (part), in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 50 (Pelews, Yap, Wolea, Luganor, Nukuor, Ruk, Ponapé, Kusaie).
Leucanous albus kittlitzi Mathews (part), Syst. Avium Australasianarum, 1, 1927, p. 143 (Carolines).
Gygis alba candida Peters, Check-list Birds World, 2, 1934, p. 349 (Carolines); Hand-list Japanese Birds (part), 3d ed., 1942, p. 219 (Babelthuap, Koror, Angaur, Yap, Wolea, Truk, Lukunor, Nukuoro, Ponapé, Kusaie).
Geographic range.—Central and southern Pacific from Carolines southeast through Melanesia and east through Samoa to Tuamotus, Easter to Cocos and Clipperton (see [figure 12]). In Micronesia: Palau Islands—Angaur, Peleliu, Garakayo, Koror, Babelthuap, Kayangel; Caroline Islands—Yap, Ulithi, Wolea, Truk, Lukunor, Ponapé, Kusaie.
Characters.—Resembles G. a. candida, but size larger, wing length of adult males and females 236-253 (245); length of exposed culmen 38-44 (42).
Measurements.—Measurements are listed in [table 24].
Specimens examined.—Total number, 36 (22 males, 12 females, 2 unsexed), as follows: Palau Islands, USNM—Peleliu, 1 (Sept. 1); AMNH—exact locality not given, 1 (Nov. 13);-Caroline Islands, USNM—Ulithi, 12 (Aug. 14, 15, 16, 20, 21)—Truk, 1 (Dec. 13); AMNH—Truk, 7 (Mar. 8, May 7, June 8, Nov. 11, 26)—Ponapé, 1 (undated)—Kusaie, 10 (Jan., Feb., March 20-30, April 1-10); MCZ—Yap, 3 (Jan. 13).
Nesting.—The NAMRU2 party learned that in May and June, 1945, several young White Terns were seen at Asor, Ulithi Atoll, by service personnel. These young were observed in breadfruit trees within a recreational area; the presence of the service personnel seemingly had little disturbing effect on the terns. At Bulubul, another island of this atoll, a downy young was obtained on August 22. Hartert (1900:10) reports that eggs of the White Tern were found on the ground and in forks of branches of trees at Truk in June.
Food Habits.—The author (1948:58) reports that stomachs of birds taken at Ulithi and Peleliu contained fish, insects and marine crustaceans. Probably the birds feed to a large extent along the edge of the tidal reef. They almost certainly obtain food also on the islands as indicated by the presence of insects in stomach contents; this is not surprising since the birds frequent woodland habitats.
Remarks.—Gygis alba is one of the most characteristic birds in Micronesia. It is seemingly more numerous at the coral atolls than at the high, volcanic islands. At the latter islands the birds prefer the coastal coconut grove environment. At Pau and Bulubul, two small islands in the Ulithi Atoll, the writer counted approximately 100 birds on August 21, 1945. Kittlitz was the first to publish an account of these birds in the Caroline Islands. Tetens, Peters, Semper and Kubary reported their presence in the Palaus. No doubt, these terns attract the attention of every traveler in the islands owing to their conspicuously white beauty and their seemingly friendly behavior toward man. Their habit of hovering in small flocks close over the head of the observer is indeed spectacular.
Columba livia Gmelin
Blue Rock Pigeon
Columba domestica [Greek: b] livia Gmelin, Syst. Nat., 1, pt. 2, 1789, p. 769. (No type locality = Europe.)
Columba livia Bryan, Guam Rec., vol. 13, no. 2, 1936, p. 24 (Guam); Marshall, Condor, vol. 51, 1949, p. 221 (Tinian).
Geographic range.—Europe and Asia Minor. Introduced to many parts of the world. In Micronesia: Mariana Islands—Guam, Tinian.
Remarks.—In 1945, the NAMRU2 party observed pigeons about the towns on Guam, particularly at the town of Inarajan. Bryan (1936:24) writes that the birds were introduced by the United States Navy and Marine Corps at Guam; the stock originating from escaped carrier pigeons. Marshall (1949:221) records this bird from Tinian.
Ptilinopus porphyraceus ponapensis (Finsch)
Crimson-crowned Fruit Dove
Ptilinopus ponapensis Finsch, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1877 (1878), p. 779. (Type locality, Ponapé.)
Ptilinopus? fasciatus Finsch, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 12, 1876, pp. 18, 37 (Ponapé).
Ptilopus fasciatus Elliot, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1878, p. 536 (Ponapé); Tristram, Cat. Birds, 1889, p. 44 (Ponapé).
Ptilopus ponapensis Schmeltz, Verhandl. Ver. nat. Unterhaltung Hamburg, 1877 (1879), pp. 178, 179 (Ponapé); Finsch, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1880, p. 576 (Ruk, Ponapé); idem, Journ. f. Ornith., 1880, pp. 291, 303 (Ponapé); idem, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1880, p. 578 (Ruk, Ponapé); idem, Ibis, 1881, pp. 113, 115 (Ponapé); Wiglesworth, Ibis, 1891, p. 583 (Ponapé, Ruk); idem, Abhandl. und Ber. Zool. Mus. Dresden, no. 6, 1890-1891 (1891), p. 50 (Ponapé, Ruk); Salvadori, Cat. Birds British Mus., 21, 1893, p. 93 (Ponapé, Ruk); Oustalet, Nouv. Arch. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, (3), 7, 1895, p. 222 (Ponapé); Nehrkron, Kat. Eiers., 1899, p. 180 (Ruk); Dubois, Syn. Avium, 2, 1904, p. 736 (Ruck, Ponapé); Reichenow, Die Vögel, 1, 1913, p. 354 (Ruk, Ponapé); Takatsukasa and Kuroda, Tori, 1, 1915, p. 52 (Ruk, Ponapé); Wetmore, in Townsend and Wetmore, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zoöl., 63, 1919, p. 189 (Uala, Ponapé).
Ptilinopus ponapensis Schmeltz and Krause, Ethnogr. Abth. Mus. Godeffroy, 1881, p. 353 (Ruk); Hartert, Novit. Zool., 7, 1900, p. 7 (Ruk, Ponapé); Seale, Occ. Papers Bernice P. Bishop Mus., 1, 1901, p. 42 (Ponapé); Matschie, Journ. f. Ornith., 1901, p. 113 (Ruck, Ponapé); Mathews, Syst. Avium Australasianarum, 1, 1927, p. 32 (Ponapé); Bequaert, Mushi, 12, 1939, pp. 81, 82 (Ponapé); Mayr. Proc. 6th Pacific Sci. Congr., 4, 1939 (1941), p. 204 (Ponapé); Bequaert, Occ. Papers Bernice P. Bishop Mus., 16, 1941, pp. 266, 290 (Ponapé).
Ptilinopus Ponapensis Christian, The Caroline Islands, 1899, p. 357 (Ponapé).
Ptilinopus ponepensis ponapensis Kuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 57 (Ponapé, Ruk); Yamashina, Tori, 7, 1932, p. 408 (Ponapé); Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 190 (Ponapé, Ruk); Peters, Check-list Birds World, 3, 1937, p. 31 (Ruk, Ponapé); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 213 (Ponapé, Truk).
Ptilinopus porphyraceus ponapensis Ripley and Birckhead, Amer. Mus. Novit., no. 1192, 1942, p. 7 (Ruk, Ponapé); Mayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 289 (Truk, Ponapé); Baker, Smithson. Misc. Coll., vol. 107, no. 15, 1948, p. 59 (Truk).
Geographic range.—Micronesia: Caroline Islands—Truk, Ponapé. Characters.—Adult male: A green fruit dove with forehead, anterior lores and crown near "pansy purple," faintly margined with yellow; occiput, sides of head, neck, upper breast grayish-green with bifid feathers of midbreast more olivaceous; chin and midthroat light yellow; breast, sides and tibia green; midpart of lower breast dark bluish-green, tinged with dark purple; lower abdomen, vent, and undertail yellow, under tail-coverts deeper yellow tinged with orange; upper parts dark green; wings metallic green on outer webs and tips, inner secondaries and some posterior scapulars with purple spots near tips; primaries and secondaries edged on outer webs with yellowish; underwing gray with yellow edges on hind, under wing-coverts; upper side of tail metallic green with terminal, broad yellow band; under side of tail gray; bill lead-colored, feet wine-brown, iris whitish to pale brown. Adult female resembles adult male, but slightly smaller and duller.
Immature: Resembles adult, but entirely green with yellow edgings on feathers and lacking crimson crown and colored breast patch.
Measurements.—Measurements of subspecies of P. porphyraceus in Micronesia are presented in [table 25].
Table 25. Measurements of Ptilinopus porphyraceus in Micronesia
Subspecies Number Wing Exposed
culmenTarsus P. p. ponapensis 12 males
137 (133-141) 14 (13-15) 25 (24-27) 11 females
133 (126-137) 14 (13-15) 25 (24-26) P. p. hernsheimi 6 males
134 (130-138) 13 (12-14) 25 (24-26) 5 females
127 (125-130) 13 (12-13) 25 (24-25) P. p. pelewensis 10 males
133 (131-134) 15 (13-15) 25 (23-26) 4 females
133 (130-138) 15 (14-15) 24 (23-24)
Table 24. Measurements of Gygis alba From the Pacific Area
Table 24. Measurements of Gygis alba From the Pacific Area
Table 25. Measurements of Ptilinopus porphyraceus in Micronesia
Table 25. Measurements of Ptilinopus porphyraceus in Micronesia
| Subspecies | Number | Wing | Exposed culmen | Tarsus |
| P. p. ponapensis | 12 males | 137 (133-141) | 14 (13-15) | 25 (24-27) |
11 females | 133 (126-137) | 14 (13-15) | 25 (24-26) | |
| P. p. hernsheimi | 6 males | 134 (130-138) | 13 (12-14) | 25 (24-26) |
5 females | 127 (125-130) | 13 (12-13) | 25 (24-25) | |
| P. p. pelewensis | 10 males | 133 (131-134) | 15 (13-15) | 25 (23-26) |
4 females | 133 (130-138) | 15 (14-15) | 24 (23-24) |
Specimens examined.—Total number, 81 (52 males, 26 females, 3 unsexed), as follows: Caroline Islands, USNM—Truk, 4 (Feb. 16, Dec. 24); AMNH—Truk, 24 (Jan., June, Oct.)—Ponapé, 53 (Nov., Dec).
Nesting.—Yamashina (1932a:408) reports on eggs taken at Ponapé on the following dates: July 10, 12, August 1, 12, 15, 21. Only one egg was found to a nest. Hartert (1900:8) records nests containing eggs in May and June at Truk. Coultas (field notes) describes the nest as a flimsy affair. At Ponapé in November and December he found nests on low branches (10 to 20 feet from the ground) each containing a single egg. Nests were found also in the tops of tree ferns. Females taken in these months had enlarged gonads.
Parasites.—Bequaert (1939:81, 82, and 1941:266, 290) records the two flies (Hippoboscidae), Ornithoctona plicata and O. pusilla, from the fruit dove at Ponapé.
Remarks.—McElroy of the NAMRU2 party found the birds in mountainous areas at Truk in December, 1945. At Ponapé in November and December, 1931, Coultas (field notes) comments that the bird is rapidly disappearing owing to persistent hunting by the natives and, at that time, by the Japanese. He found the birds to be strictly forest-living and to frequent the larger fruit-bearing trees of the lowlands and the mountain sides. Coultas writes that the Japanese hunters attracted the doves by the use of calls. The natives catch the birds with a gum mixture obtained from bread-fruit gum and coconut oil.
Ptilinopus porphyraceus hernsheimi (Finsch)
Crimson-crowned Fruit Dove
Ptilopus Hernsheimi Finsch., Journ. f. Ornith., 1880, p. 303. (Type locality, Kuschai.)
Ptilopus hernsheimi Finsch, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1880, p. 577 (Kuschai); Reichenow and Schalow, Journ. f. Ornith., 1881, p. 75 (Kuschai); Finsch, Ibis, 1881, pp. 106, 107, 108 (Kushai); Wiglesworth, Ibis, 1891, p. 583 (Ualan); idem, Abhandl. und Ber. Zool. Mus. Dresden, no. 6, 1890-1891 (1891), p. 51 (Ualan); Salvadori, Cat. Birds British Mus., 21, 1893, p. 94 (Ualan); Oustalet, Nouv. Arch. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, (3), 7, 1895, p. 222 (Oualan); Dubois, Syn. Avium, 2, 1904, p. 736 (Kuschai); Reichenow, Die Vögel, 1, 1913, p. 355 (Kuschai); Wetmore, in Townsend and Wetmore, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zoöl., 63, 1919, p. 189 (Kusaie).
Ptilinopus hernsheimi Matschie, Journ. f. Ornith., 1901, p. 113 (Ualan); Mathews, Syst. Avium Australasianarum, 1, 1927, p. 33 (Kusaie).
Ptilinopus ponapensis hernsheimi Kuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 57 (Kusaie); Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 190 (Kusaie); Peters, Check-list Birds World, 3, 1937, p. 31 (Kusaie); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 212 (Kusaie).
Ptilinopus marshallianus Peters and Griscom, Proc. New England Zool. Club, 10, 1928, p. 104 (Type locality, Ebon); Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 190 (Ebon).
Ptilinopus ponapensis marshallianus Peters, Check-list Birds World, 3, 1937, p. 31 (Ebon); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 213 (Ebon).
Ptilinopus porphyraceus hernsheimi Ripley and Birckhead, Amer. Mus. Novit., no. 1192, 1942, p. 6 (Kusaie, Ebon); Mayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 289 (Kusaie).
Geographic range.—Micronesia: Caroline Islands—Kusaie; Marshall Islands—Ebon (extinct?).
Characters.—Adult: Resembles P. p. ponapensis, but occiput, nape, sides of head more gray and less greenish-yellow; chin and midthroat paler; crown coloring very faintly margined with yellow; tail band brighter yellow; under tail-coverts more orange; abdominal spot may be present as a brownish-red tinge; abdomen slightly more yellowish.
Immature: Resembles immature of P. p. ponapensis.
Measurements.—Measurements are listed in [table 25]. Ripley and Birckhead (1942:7) give the measurements of the only known specimen from Ebon (Marshall Islands) as: wing, 124; tail, 74; bill from base, 15.
Specimens examined.—Total number, 11 (6 males, 5 females), as follows: Caroline Islands, USNM—Kusaie, 1 (Feb. 9); AMNH—Kusaie, 10 (Jan., Feb., March, April).
Remarks.—I am following Ripley and Birckhead (1942:6) in identifying the dove from Ebon Island as of the subspecies P. p. hernsheimi. This specimen from Ebon may, however, represent the final vestige of a formerly well-distributed population in the Marshall Islands. This distribution is of particular interest because it may show the pathway by which these small fruit pigeons invaded eastern Micronesia from Polynesia.
The small fruit dove at Kusaie has apparently the same habitat requirements as others of the species. Coultas (field notes) comments that in 1931 the birds were "quite common." He found them in the high trees on the mountain sides away from the native villages and gardens.
Ptilinopus porphyraceus pelewensis Hartlaub and Finsch
Crimson-crowned Fruit Dove
Ptilinopus pelewensis Hartlaub and Finsch, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1868, p. 7. (Type locality, Pelew Islands.)
Ptilinopus pelewensis Hartlaub and Finsch, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1868, p. 118 (Pelew); Gray, Hand-list Birds, 2, 1870, p. 225 (Pelew); Hartlaub and Finsch, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1872, pp. 89, 101 (Pelew); Gräffe, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 1, 1873, pl. 7, fig. 5 (Pelew); Finsch, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 8, 1875, pp. 5, 24 (Palau); Finsch, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 12, 1876, p. 37 (Palau); Schmeltz and Krause, Ethnogr. Abth. Mus. Godeffroy, 1881, p. 407 (Palau); Matschie, Journ. f. Ornith., 1901, p. 113 (Palau); Kuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 56 (Pelew); Mathews, Syst. Avium Australasianarum, 1, 1927, p. 32 (Pelew); Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 190 (Palau); Peters, Check-list Birds World, 3, 1937, p. 31 (Babeltop, Korror); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 213 (Babelthuap, Koror).
Ptilonopus pelewensis Finsch, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1874, p. 94 (Pelew).
Ptilopus pelewensis Giebel, Thes. Ornith., 3, 1877, p. 366 (Pelew); Elliot, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1878, p. 531 (Palau); Schmeltz, Verhandl. Ver. nat. Unterhatlung Hamburg, 1877 (1879), p. 178 (Pelew); Tristram, Cat. Birds, 1889, p. 44 (Pelew); Wiglesworth, Ibis, 1891, p. 584 (Pelew); idem, Abhandl. und Ber. Zool. Mus. Dresden, no. 6, 1890-1891 (1891), p. 48 (Pelew); Salvadori, Cat. Birds British Mus., 21, 1893, p. 86 (Pelew); Dubois, Syn. Avium, 2, 1904, p. 736 (Pelew); Reichenow, Die Vögel, 1, 1913, p. 354 (Palau); Takatsukasa and Kuroda, Tori, 1, 1915, p. 52 (Pelew).
Ptilinopus porphyraceus pelewensis Ripley and Birckhead, Amer. Mus. Novit., no. 1192, 1942, p. 7 (Palau); Mayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 289 (Palau); Baker, Smithson. Misc. Coll., vol. 107, no. 15, 1948, p. 60 (Peleliu, Ngabad, Garakayo).
Geographic range.—Micronesia: Palau Islands—Babelthuap, Koror, Garakayo, Peleliu, Ngabad, Anguar.
Characters.—Adult male: A green fruit pigeon with anterior lores and crown purple, margined with pale yellow; forehead paler than crown; chin and midthroat pale yellow; neck, sides of head, and breast greenish-gray, darker on occiput; feathers of upper breast cross-banded with partly concealed violet bands; abdomen orange, its lower part and region of vent yellow; sides greenish; tibia grayish; under tail-coverts near "Indian lake" with yellowish-orange edgings; upper parts green; wings metallic green, secondaries and primaries margined on outer webs with yellow; inner secondaries spotted with violet-blue near tips; under wing gray; upper side of tail green with pale yellow terminal band; under side of tail gray; bill lead-colored; feet dark blood-red.
Adult female: Resembles adult male, but upper parts greener with upper side of wing and upper tail-coverts washed with olivaceous-brown; breast duskier. Immature resembles adult, but lacks purple crown, violet breast spot, orange abdomen and maroon under tail-coverts; upper and lower parts margined with yellow; forehead pale green; supercillary stripe pale yellow.
P. p. pelewensis resembles P. p. ponapensis, but crown more purple; yellow tail-bar narrower; bifurcated, central breast feathers violet; abdomen orange; and under tail-coverts near "Indian lake".
Measurements.—Measurements are presented in [table 25].
Specimens examined.—Total number, 14 (10 males, 4 females), as follows: Palau Islands, USNM—Koror, 3 (Nov. 14, Dec. 3)—Garakayo, 1 (Sept. 19)—Peleliu, 3 (Aug. 27, Sept. 1, 4)—Ngabad, 2 (Sept. 11)—Pelew, 2 (Mar. 1, 2); AMNH—Palau, 3 (Oct., Dec.).
Nesting.—At Ngabad Island on September 11, 1945, the NAMRU2 party found a nest in jungle in a low tree about six feet above the ground. It was loosely constructed and contained a single white egg, size 31 by 23 mm. Another nest was found at Ngabad the same day. It was on the branch of a tree approximately 20 feet from the ground. The nest was not examined other than to observe a parent bird on the nest. Three males obtained in August and in September had enlarged testes. Males taken in December by Coultas had enlarged testes.
Food Habits.—Stomachs examined by the NAMRU2 party contained fruit parts and seeds. This species seemingly obtains its foods from the large fruit-producing trees and to a lesser extent from the smaller shrubs or from ground berries.
Remarks.—P. p. pelewensis was found in small numbers at all islands visited in the southern Palaus by the NAMRU2 party in 1945. At Peleliu, the bird was restricted to undisturbed woodlands and thickets, although some were seen in the thickly growing vegetation covering over the battle areas. The bird evidently lives a solitary existence; it was only rarely observed in pairs. It was often located by its calls. Coultas (field notes) reports that in 1931 the species was becoming rare in the Palaus, owing to persistent hunting by the Japanese, who sold the bird for 25 sen each.
Ptilinopus roseicapillus (Lesson)
Marianas Fruit Dove
Columba roseicapilla Lesson, Traité d'Ornith., 6, 1831, p. 472. (Type locality, Marianne Islands.)
Columba roseicapilla Lesson, Compl. de Buffon, 2d ed., 2, Oiseaux, 1838, p. 278 (Mariannes).
Columba purpurata Kittlitz, Kupfertaf. Naturgesch. Vögel, 3, 1833, p. 25, pl. 23, fig. 2 (Guahan); idem, Obser. Zool., in Lutké, Voy. "Le Séniavine," 3, 1836, p. 305 (Guahan).
Ptilinopus purpuratus Hartlaub, Journ. f. Ornith., 1854, p. 167 (Mariannen); Hartert, Katalog Vogelsamml. Senckenb., 1891, p. 190 (Guaham).
Ptilopus roseicapillus Bonaparte, Comptes Rendus Acad. Sci. Paris, 39, 1854, p. 877 (Mariannes); idem, Icon. Pigeons, 1857, pl. 23 and desc. letterpress (Mariannes); Schlegel, Mus. Pays-Bas, 6, no. 35, 1873, p. 8 (Guam); Giebel, Thes. Ornith., 3, 1877, p. 368 (Mariannae); Elliot, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1878, p. 537 (Marianne); Oustalet, Le Nat., 1889, p. 261 (Mariannes); Wiglesworth, Ibis, 1891, p. 584 (Marianne); idem, Abhandl. und Ber Zool. Mus. Dresden, no. 6, 1890-1891 (1891), p. 48 (Marianne); Salvadori, Cat. Birds British Mus., 21, 1893, p. 108 (Marianne Islands); Oustalet, Nouv. Arch. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, (3), 7, 1895, p. 218 (Saypan, Guam, Rota); Safford, The Plant World, 7, 1904, p. 264 (Guam); Dubois, Syn. Avium, 2, 1904, p. 736 (Mariannes); Safford, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb., 9, 1905, p. 78 (Guam); Schnee, Zeitschr. f. Naturwisch., 82, 1912, p. 465 (Marianen); Prowazek, Die deutschen Marianen, 1913, p. 101 (Marianen); Reichenow, Die Vögel, 1, 1913, p. 354 (Marianen); Cox, Island of Guam, 1917, p. 20 (Guam); Bryan, Guam Rec. vol. 13, no. 2, 1936, p. 24 (Guam); Thompson, Guam and its people, 1942, p. 23 (Guam).
Kurukuru roseicapillus Prévost and Des Murs, Voy. "Venus," Oiseaux, 1855, pp. 221, 231, 257, 259, 269 (Guam).
Ptilopus roseicapilla Bonaparte, Consp. Avium, 2, 1855, p. 21 (Mariannis).
Ptilonopus roseicapillus Gray, Cat. Birds Trop. Is. Pacific Ocean, 1859, p. 31 (Guam); Reichenbach, Tauben, 1861, p. 96 (Mariannen); Finsch, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1874, p. 94 (Mariannes).
Ptilinopus roseicapillus Finsch and Hartlaub, Fauna Centralpolynesiens, 1867, pp. 122, 127 (Mariannen); Gray, Hand-list Birds, 2, 1870, p. 225 (Ladrones); Hartert, Novit. Zool., 5, 1898, p. 60 (Guam, Rota, Saipan); Wheeler, Report Island of Guam, 1900, p. 13 (Guam); Seale, Occ. Papers Bernice P. Bishop Mus., 1, 1901, p. 39 (Guam, Rota, Saipan); Matschie, Journ. f. Ornith., 1901, p. 113 (Guam, Saipan); Safford, Osprey, 1902, p. 68 (Marianas); idem, Amer. Anthro., 4, 1902, p. 711 (Guam); Kuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 56 (Guam, Rota, Saipan); Mathews, Syst. Avium Australasianarum, 1, 1927, p. 33 (Marianne); Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 190 (Tinian, Saipan, Rota); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 212 (Guam, Rota, Tinian, Saipan); Mayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 288 (Marianas); Downs, Trans. Kansas Acad. Sci., 49, 1946, p. 95 (Tinian); Watson, The Raven, 17, 1946, p. 42 (Guam); Strophlet, Auk, 63, 1946, p. 538 (Guam); Baker, Condor, 49, 1947, p. 125 (Guam); Stott, Auk, 64, 1947, p. 526 (Saipan); Baker, Smithson. Misc. Coll., vol. 107, no. 15, 1948, p. 59 (Guam, Rota).
Ptilopus diadematus Giebel, Thes. Ornith., 3, 1877, p. 363 (Marianae).
Ptilinopus roseicapilla Peters, Check-list Birds World, 3, 1937, p. 31 (Saipan, Tinian, Rota, Guam); Ripley and Birckhead, Amer. Mus. Novit., no. 1192, 1942, p. 3 (Guam, Rota, Tinian, Saipan).
Geographic range.—Micronesia: Mariana Islands—Guam, Rota, Tinian, Saipan.
Characters.—Adult male: A green dove with crown, forehead, anterior lores, and spot at base of mandible near "aster purple," margined with pale yellow especially on top of head; chin and throat pale yellow to white; sides of head greenish-gray, darker on occiput; breast green with pearly-gray tinge on feathers of middle part; lower breast with dark purple patch; abdomen orange with yellowish-green coloring at midline; anal region and lower tail-coverts yellow, tinged with orange on lower tail-coverts; sides and tibia greenish with yellow tinges; upper parts green, more yellowish-green on rump; wings glossy, upper wing-coverts brighter in middle and margined with yellow; under side of wing and under side of tail gray; upper side of tail green with broad grayish terminal band margined with yellow; iris pale yellow; bill grass-green; legs and feet reddish-black.
Adult female: Resembles male, but slightly smaller with neck greener. Immature resembles adult, but lacking colored crown; body feathers edged with yellow.
Birds from Guam, Rota, and Tinian exhibit no conspicuous differences. P. roseicapillus is closest to P. regina of southern Papua, Lesser Sunda Islands, and Australia being, according to Ripley and Birckhead (1942:3), "Similar to regina, but crown and abdominal band darker; malar apex concolorous with crown; hind neck more grayish; tail-bar wider and paler."
Measurements.—Measurements of P. roseicapillus are presented in [table 26].
Weights.—In 1948 (1948:59) I listed the weights of 14 adult males as 81-103 (90), of 4 adult females as 85-99 (92), and of one nestling in post natal molt as 44 grams. These were taken at Guam.
Specimens examined.—Total number, 43 (32 males, 10 females, 1 unsexed), as follows: Mariana Islands, USNM—Guam, 28 (March 8, May 25, 27, June 3, 12, 14, July 2, 6, 10, 18, 19, 29, Aug. 21)—Rota, 3 (Oct. 28, 31, Nov. 2)—Tinian, 1 (Oct. 26); AMNH—Guam, 8 (Aug.)—Tinian, 3 (Sept.).
Table 26. Measurements of Ptilinopus roseicapillus
Number Wing Tail Exposed
culmenTarsus 32 adult males 127 (122-133) 80 (75-84) 14 (13-15.3) 25 (24-27) 10 adult females 124 (121-130) 76 (75-79) 13 (12-13.7) 24 (22-25.5) Nesting.—At Guam, I obtained records of nests of fruit doves on March 1, 1927, and May 7, 1945. David H. Johnson observed a pair of fruit doves in the act of copulation on May 26, 1945. Birds with enlarged gonads were taken by the NAMRU2 party in March and July. A nestling in post natal molt, just beginning to fly, was taken on July 6. Seale (1901:39) reports two nests, each containing one white egg, taken in the period from May to July. These nests were found in trees eight to ten feet above the ground.
Food habits.—The Marianas Fruit Dove feeds on fruits and seeds of trees and shrubs. The birds are apparently strictly tree dwellers; I saw no birds on the ground. A favorite fruit is that of a flowering shrub known as the "ink berry." Birds were collected which contained stomachs full of these small black berries. The fruit of the papaya is also a favorite food.
Remarks.—The NAMRU2 party found the Marianas Fruit Dove at Guam to be fairly numerous in undisturbed jungle, and more abundant in the heavy, second-growth, scrub-forest as was found on Amantes Point in 1945. The birds were secretive but were easily located by their calls. They were usually found as singles sitting quietly concealed in thick vegetation. Birds were seen flying rather infrequently, and then only for short distances. The removal of large tracts of jungle to provide space for the construction of air strips and installations in the late war has disturbed some of the habitat of these birds. Although vast tracts of forest were undisturbed, the birds probably have decreased at Guam. Coultas (field notes) found the birds common at the northern end of Guam in 1931. He commented that natives catch them with snares and bird lime for the local markets. At Tinian in 1931, Coultas found few birds. Downs (1946:95) and Stott (1947:526) record the birds at Tinian and Saipan, respectively, in 1945. At Rota, the NAMRU2 party found the dove to be numerous.
Evolutionary history of Ptilinopus in Micronesia.—Oceania is especially rich in species and subspecies of the genus Ptilinopus. Ripley and Birckhead (1942) have made the most recent and most thorough contribution concerning these birds. They state that the center of distribution for the genus lies in the Papuan region. Within the Oceanic region there are several species of Ptilinopus which in one way or another are rather closely related; Rensch (1938:277) uses these as examples of species which have been formed by isolation. These include P. perousii from Samoa, Fiji, and Tonga; P. mercierii from the Marquesas; P. dupetithouarsii from the Marquesas; P. huttoni from Rapa; P. purpuratus from Henderson, Tuamotus, Societies; P. porphyraceus from Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Carolines, Solomons, New Hebrides, New Caledonia, and adjacent areas; and P. roseicapillus from Marianas. In all of these birds the crown is wine-red except in P. dupetithouarsii in which it is whitish. P. porphyraceus appears to be more closely related to P. purpuratus than to any other species and is characterized by an often brightly washed spot of color of some shade of red or orange on the breast. These birds may have invaded Micronesia from the region of the Solomon Islands, although it appears more likely that they arose in the Samoa-Fiji-Tonga region and moved northward, probably by way of the Marshall Islands. P. p. hernsheimi from Kusaie and P. p. ponapensis from Ponapé and Truk resemble P. p. faciatus Peale from Samoa more closely than they do any other subspecies. P. p. pelewensis from Palau, on the other hand shows little relation to these other two Micronesian subspecies and appears to be closest to P. p. porphyraceus of Fiji and Tonga or possibly to P. grayi from Melanesia. Ripley and Birckhead (1942:7) suggest that the subspecies at Palau owes its marked divergence to its isolated position at the periphery of the range of the species. P. p. pelewensis probably represents an independent and an earlier colonization, possibly from a stock different from that from which the two subspecies in the Carolines arose. The presence in the Palaus of subspecies singularly different from subspecies in the Carolines can also be observed in other genera, as for example, Rhipidura, and Myiagra. [Figure 13] shows the inferred routes of colonization of Ptilinopus to Micronesia.
P. roseicapillus seemingly represents a remnant, or perhaps a successful straggler, of an early invasion to Micronesia. Ripley and Birckhead (1942:2) classify this species as "Old Stock," along with P. monachus, P. coronulatus and P. regina. Its pathway of invasion to the Marianas was probably directly northward from the Papuan area and not by way of the Polynesian islands. Its resemblance to the species P. regina of southern Papua, Lesser Sundas, and Australia is most unusual, especially since there is a separation between the two species of some 1,400 miles; this is pointed out by Ripley and Birckhead (1942:4). As I have said (1948:59) elsewhere, "On the basis of its characters the Mariana birds would merit only subspecific separation, but owing to the great distance between the two doves and the possibility of independent origin and subsequent convergence, it may be more advisable to continue to regard the two as separate species."
Fig. 13. Geographic distribution of Ptilinopus porphyraceus and routes of its dispersal. (1) P. p. porphyraceus; (2) P. p. fasciatus; (3) P. p. hernsheimi; (4) P. p. ponapensis; (5) P. p. pelewensis.
Ducula oceanica monacha (Momiyama)
Micronesian Pigeon
Globicera oceanica monacha Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, March, 1922, p. 4. (Type locality, Yap.)
Columba oceanica Lesson and Garnot (part), Dict. Sci. Nat., éd. Levrault, 40, 1826, p. 317 (Pelew); Lesson (part), Man. d'Ornith., 2, 1828, p. 166 (Pelew); idem (part), Voy. "La Coquille," Zool., 2, 1828, pp. 432, 709 (Pelew); idem, Compl. de Buffon, 2d ed., 2, Oiseaux, 1838, p. 292 (Pelew); Prévost and Knip, Les Pigeons, 2, 1838-43, p. 49 (Pelew).
Carpophaga oceanica Hartlaub (part), Archiv. f. Naturgesch., 18, 1852, p. 115 (Pelewinseln); idem, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1867 (1868), p. 830 (Pelew); Gray (part), Hand-list Birds, 2, 1870, p. 229 (Pelew); Hartlaub and Finsch (part), Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1872, pp. 89, 101 (Pelew); Finsch, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 8, 1875, pp. 5, 26 (Palau); idem (part), Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1877 (1878), pp. 775, 780 (Palau); Salvadori (part), Cronaca del R. Liceo-Ginnasio Cavour, 1878, pp. 3, 8 (Pelew); idem, Ibis, 1879, p. 364 (Pelew); Tristram, Cat. Birds, 1889, p. 42 (Pelew); Wiglesworth (part), Abhandl. und Ber. Zool. Mus. Dresden, no. 6, 1890-1891 (1891), p. 52 (Pelew); Matschie (part), Journ. f. Ornith., 1901, p. 113 (Palau); Dubois (part), Syn. Avium, 2, 1904, p. 743 (Pelew); Reichenow (part), Die Vögel, 1, 1913, p. 351 (Palau).
Globicera oceanica Bonaparte (part), Consp. Avium, 2, 1855, p. 31 (Pelew); Reichenbach (part), Tauben, 1861, p. 120 (Pelew); Salvadori (part), Cat. Birds British Mus., 21, 1893, p. 176 (Pelew); Takatsukasa and Kuroda (part), Tori, 1, 1915, p. 52 (Pelew); Uchida, Annot. Zool. Japon., 9, 1918, pp. 486, 489 (Palau).
Carpophaga (Globicera) oceanica Gray (part), Cat. Birds Trop. Is. Pacific Ocean, 1859, p. 41 (Pelew).
Carpophaga pacifica Finsch and Hartlaub (part), Fauna Centralpolynesiens, 1867, p. 145 (Pelew); Hartlaub and Finsch, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1868, pp. 7, 118 (Pelew); Finsch and Hartlaub, Journ. f. Ornith., 1870, p. 134 (Pelew).
Globicera oceanica monacha Kuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 55 (Yap); Mathews, Syst. Avium Australasianarum, 1, 1927, p. 46 (Yap); Yamashina, Tori, 7, 1932, p. 408 (Yap); Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 189 (Yap, Palau, Current = Palo Anna).
Globicera oceanica momiyamai Kuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, March, 1922, pp. 25, 56 (Type locality, Angaur); Mathews, Syst. Avium Australasianarum, 1, 1927, p. 46 (Pelew); Kuroda, Ibis, 1927, p. 719 (Pelew).
Muscadivora oceanica winkleri Neumann, Verhandl. Ornith. Ges. Bayern, 25, Sept. 1, 1922, p. 234 (Type locality, Palau).
Ducula oceanica monacha Peters, Check-list Birds World, 3, 1937, p. 43 (Yap, Babelthuap, Koror, Angaur, Current); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 211 (Yap, Babelthuap, Koror, Angaur, Current); Amadon, Amer. Mus. Novit., no. 1237, 1943, p. 11 (Yap, Palau); Mayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 289 (Palau, Yap); Baker, Smithson. Misc. Coll., vol. 107, no. 15, 1948, p. 66 (Peleliu, Garakayo, Babelthuap).
Geographic range.—Micronesia: Palau Islands—Babelthuap, Koror, Garakayo, Peleliu, Angaur, Palo Anna; Caroline Islands—Yap.
Characters.—Adult: Resembles D. o. oceanica from Kusaie but throat, breast, head, and neck light ashy-gray; feathers around bill grayish-white; abdomen and under tail-coverts tipped with light brown.
Immature: Resembles adult, but underparts paler; back lacking dark bluish spots; back feathers and wing feathers edged with light brown.
Measurements.—Measurements of D. oceanica are listed in [table 27].
Table 27. Measurements of Ducula oceanica
Subspecies Number Wing Exposed
culmenTarsus D. o. monacha 8 males
228 (219-233) 36 (34-37) 6 females
221 (214-228) 22.5 (22.0-23.0) 31 (29-33) D. o. teraokai 5 males
230 (225-237) 23.5 (23.0-25.0) 34 (33-35) 8 females
231 (221-238) 23.0 (21.5-24.5) 34 (33-35) D. o. townsendi 8 males
226 (211-234) 24.0 (23.5-25.0) 34 (32-35) 5 females
226 (215-233) 24.0 (23.0-24.5) 33 (32-34) D. o. oceanica 4 males
222 (217-228) 25.0 (24.5-26.0) 35 (34-36) 13 females
219 (213-226) 24.0 (23.0-25.0) 32 (30-34) D. o. ratakensis[B] 6 males
(211-217) (25.0-27. 3 females
(208-213) (25.0-26.0) [B] From Takatsukasa and Yamashina (1932:221).
Specimens examined.—Total number, 17 (9 males, 8 females), as follows: Palau Islands, USNM—Garakayo, 1 (Sept. 19)—Peleliu, 7 (Aug. 27, 28, 29, Sept. 4, 5); AMNH—Palau, 9 (Oct., Nov. 13, 15, 21, Dec. 1).
Nesting.—Yamashina (1932a:408) records the finding of one egg at Yap on December 3, 1930. The NAMRU2 party obtained no evidence of breeding activity of these pigeons at the Palaus in August and September, 1945. Coultas, in November and December of 1931, obtained birds with enlarged gonads at Palau. Probably the nesting season begins in November or December.
Food habits.—The pigeons feed on both fruits and green stuffs. The NAMRU2 party found berries, fruit parts and green plant materials in stomachs of birds taken in September, 1945. The birds were found to be exceedingly fat at this time.
Parasites.—Uchida (1918:486, 489) records the bird lice (Mallophaga), Goniocotes carpohagae and Colopocephalum unicolor, from this pigeon at Palau.
Remarks.—The Micronesian Pigeon at Palau was first observed in 1783, when Captain Henry Wilson of the packet "Antelope" was shipwrecked in these islands. In his account of the islands, as compiled by George Keate (Wilson, 1788), Wilson described the large pigeons, which were kept as pets by the natives and were eaten by only certain classes of people. In 1826, Lesson and Garnot made first reference to the birds found by Wilson. It was almost 100 years after Wilson's visit that the bird was again observed; this time it was obtained by the sea captains, Tetens and Heinsohn, and by Kubary, the collector for the Godeffroy Museum.
It is surprising that a pigeon as large and conspicuous as this one, has not already been exterminated by man on these small islands. Every traveller to the islands, who has made observations, writes that the pressure of hunting on these birds is severe. Coultas (field notes) reports that in 1931 the birds were "very scarce and wild." He comments that the Japanese hunters obtained the birds and received the market price of 35 sen for each one. He writes, "There is a group of Japanese hunters in the islands who vie with one another to see who can obtain the most birds. They are all atrocious shots but some employ natives and since so many of them are in the business they are inflicting considerable damage to the bird life. During my stay there one Japanese was sentenced to six weeks hard labor for hiring native hunters. The native hunter who preferred charges claimed that money was due him for having shot some 3,500 birds and the account had been standing over a year." Price (1936b:491) shows a picture of a captive pigeon at Palau. The natives used this bird as a calling decoy to attract others within range of their blowguns.
The NAMRU2 party observed pigeons at all islands visited in August and September, 1945. At Peleliu, the pigeons were found to be restricted to relatively undisturbed areas where tall trees remained or where shrubs were present on the faces of overhanging cliffs. The shrubs on cliffs were favorite roosting places. Although the pigeons remained in these relatively inaccessible areas, they were not especially difficult to obtain with shotguns. I can see that it might be difficult for unarmed hunters to obtain the birds. The present writer (1946b:210) has recorded the extensive utilization of pigeons, rails and megapodes by Japanese troops and by their prisoners of war at Babelthuap and Koror during the latter part of the war.
During our stay at Peleliu we were unable to learn whether the pigeon was still present at Pulo Anna (Current Island), a coral island some 160 miles southeast of Peleliu. The U. S. Navy frequently dispatched a ship to the island, but we did not learn of it until our stay at Peleliu was nearly over. Dr. C. K. Dorsey, then of the U. S. Naval Epidemiology Unit at Peleliu, reported that various kinds of birds were numerous at Pulo Anna, but he did not recall seeing the pigeon. This pigeon may occur also at Fais, a raised coral island west of Yap and Ulithi in the Carolines. I know of no reports dealing with the avifauna of this phosphate island, but I examined several pictures, taken by Navy landing parties and the Military Government personnel, which show the island to be covered with extensive and luxuriant vegetation. I suspect that an intensive survey of the island will reveal several new records for birds.
Ducula oceanica teraokai (Momiyama)
Micronesian Pigeon
Globicera oceanica teraokai Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 2. (Type locality, Tol, Truk Islands.)
Columba oceanica Kittlitz (part), Kupfertaf. Naturgesch. Vögel, 3, 1833, p. 25, pl. 33, fig. 1 (Lugunor); idem (part), Obser. Zool., in Lutké, Voy. "Le Séniavine," 3, 1836, p. 299 (Lougounor); Hartlaub (part), Archiv f. Naturgesch., 18, 1852, pp. 115, 185, (Mordlockinseln).
Carpophaga (Globicera) pacifica Gray (part), Cat. Birds Trop. Is. Pacific Ocean, 1859, p. 41 (Mortlock's Island).
Carpophaga pacifica Finsch and Hartlaub, Fauna Centralpolynesiens, 1867, p. 146 (Lugunor).
Carpophaga oceanica Finsch, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1880, p. 576 (Ruk); Schmeltz and Krause (part), Ethnogr. Abth. Mus. Godeffroy, 1881, pp. 330, 353 (Nukuor, Ruk); Wiglesworth (part), Abhandl. und Ber. Zool. Mus. Dresden, no. 6, 1890-1891 (1891), p. 52 (Luganor, Ruk, Nukuor); Hartert, Novit. Zool., 7, 1900, p. 8 (Ruk).
Globicera oceanica Salvadori (part), Cat. Birds British Mus., 21, 1893, p. 176 (Ruk); Takatsukasa and Kuroda (part), Tori, 1, 1915, p. 52 (Ruk).
Globicera oceanica teraokai Kuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 55 (Ruk, ?Mortlock, ?Nukuor); Mathews, Syst. Avium Australasianarum, 1, 1927, p. 45 (Ruk); Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 189 (Truk).
M[uscadivora] o[ceanica] oceanica Neumann (part), Verhandl. Ornith. Ges. Bayern, 25, 1922, p. 234 (Ualam = Truk).
Ducula oceanica teraokai Peters, Check-list Birds World, 3, 1937, p. 43 (Truk); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 212 (Truk); Amadon, Amer. Mus. Novit., no. 1237, 1943, p. 11 (Truk); Mayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 289 (Truk).
Geographic range.—Micronesia: Caroline Islands—Truk, ?Lukunor, ?Nukuoro.
Characters.—Adult: Resembles D. o. monacha, but slightly darker on crown, nape, and mantle; back more bluish and less greenish, underparts slightly darker chestnut. Differs from D. o. townsendi by being paler and gray on crown, nape, shoulder, side of neck, and upper breast; abdomen and under tail-coverts slightly deeper chestnut. Differs from D. o. oceanica by larger size; upper parts paler; abdomen and under side of tail deeper chestnut. I agree with Amadon (1943:11) that this subspecies is only doubtfully distinct from D. o. monacha and that it might be advisable to unite these under one subspecific name.
Measurements.—Measurements are listed in [table 27].
Specimens examined.—Total number, 14 (5 males, 9 females, 1 unsexed) from Caroline Islands, AMNH—Truk (Nov., Dec.).
Remarks.—The Micronesian Pigeon at Truk was observed by Kittlitz (1836:299) and later by Kubary at the islands of Lukunor and Nukuoro. Momiyama (1922:4) remarks that he did not see specimens from these two islands but concludes that they probably belong to the subspecies named from Truk. It is possible that birds at these two atolls have been exterminated, although adequate field investigations have not been made.
There is little information published concerning the natural history of this subspecies. McElroy, who visited Truk in December, 1945, did not find the bird; however, he did not visit all of the islands in the group during his stay.
Ducula oceanica townsendi (Wetmore)
Micronesian Pigeon
Table 26. Measurements of Ptilinopus roseicapillus