Justification This species qualifies as Endangered because it has suffered a very rapid population decline which is expected to continue as a result of severe lowland habitat loss and hunting. A healthy population may survive on Wetar, but further surveys are required to establish its current status.

Family/Sub-family Columbidae

Species name author (Schlegel, 1871)

Taxonomic source(s) Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993)

Identification 27 cm. Medium-small, terrestrial dove. Male has light blue-grey head becoming greyish-white on throat. Reddish-brown hindneck, paler on sides of neck and fading to pale cream on breast, strongly demarcated from blackish belly. Narrow band of shining purple on breast-sides and carpals. Chestnut upperparts. Female much more uniform, with light rusty-chestnut head, neck and breast, and olive-brown upperparts and belly. Similar spp. Juvenile Emerald Dove Chalcophaps indica has some green on wings and mantle and pale belly and forehead. Voice A short, soft, but quite penetrating two-note whu-wup, sometimes changed into a three-note call by the addition of a brief guttural trrr⁴.

Population estimate

Population trend

Range estimate (breeding/resident)

Country endemic?

2,500-9,999

decreasing

28,100 km²

No

Range & population Gallicolumba hoedtii occurs in West Timor and Wetar, Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, and Timor-Leste. On Wetar, it is known by less than 20 specimens collected at unspecified localities around 1900. The fact that a series of eight birds was collected in five days in 1902 suggests that it was fairly common, at least locally. No records were made during a very brief visit to the island in 1990^1,6, but extensive forest apparently remains. It has been recorded at only three localities in West Timor (including only one record during a nine-week survey in 1993), where it is presumably rare, although possibly overlooked. In 2004, a male bird was confiscated from a bird trapper in Dili³. The trapper claimed to have caught his birds on the south coast of Timor-Leste, in the Natarbora region (Manututo District)³. Subsequent surveys in 2005 close to the border with Indonesia, in the vicinity of Desa Foho Lulik (Tilomar sub-district), found at least four, and perhaps five, calling birds³.

Important Bird Areas Click here to view map showing IBAs where species is recorded and triggers any of the IBA criteria.

Ecology: It inhabits lowland monsoon-forest, and possibly woodland, up to 950 m. In West Timor two of the three records have been from "forest near a clearing" and "fairly undisturbed hill forest". Its habitat receives highly seasonal rainfall, but it is not known whether it makes any dispersive movements, e.g. in response to bamboo seeding events, as in several of its congeners⁶. It is possible that this species is associated with bamboo, and thus partly nomadic³. Birds found recently in Timor-Leste were only found within gallery forest and remnant trees bordering a wide stream, suggesting wet forest - possibly even only that associated with flowing water - is important breeding habitat³. It has been presumed to be largely solitary and to forage on the ground like its congeners but it appears to call from, and nest in, the canopy³. It appears to be a dry-season breeder³.

Threats Habitat destruction in West and Timor-Leste has been very extensive, and is presumably the primary threat. Three recently identified IBAs contain much of the remaining tropical monsoon-forest in Timor-Leste (approximately 652 km²)². Tropical forests now only cover an estimated 4% of West Timor, scattered in seven unprotected patches that are continually declining in size due to intensive grazing and burning. Forest cover in Timor-Leste declined by 14% between 1989 and 1999⁵. In addition, pigeons are apparently hunted extensively on Timor, a factor that must have contributed to the decline of this species. The situation on Wetar is poorly known, and although extensive forest remained there until at least 1990⁶, illegal logging and the development of gold mines may threaten the remaining population.

Conservation measures underway Several protected areas have been proposed in West Timor and another (Gunung Arnau) on Wetar. Recent surveys have identified four further areas in West Timor to be of importance to the islands' endemic avifauna, two of which, Camplong and Soe are known localities for G. hoedtii. Another site, Gunung Timau, is currently subject to an initiative to include it within the Gunung Mutis protected area.

Conservation measures proposed Conduct further surveys in suitable remaining forest on Wetar, West Timor, and Timor-Leste to establish its current distribution, population status, seasonal movements, ecological constraints and main threats. Propose key sites supporting populations of this, and other threatened species, for establishment as strict protected areas. Strongly support initiatives to protect Gunung Timau.

References BirdLife International (2001). 1. Trainor et al. (undated). 2. Trainor (2002). 3. Lambert et al. (in press). 4. C. Trainor in litt (2007). 5. Bouma and Kobryn (2004). 6. K. D. Bishop in litt. (2007).

Further web sources of information

Fully detailed species accounts from the Threatened birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book (BirdLife International 2001), together with new information collated since the publication of the Red Data Book

Text account compilers Phil Benstead (BirdLife International), James Gilroy (BirdLife International), John Pilgrim (BirdLife International), Joe Tobias (BirdLife International)

Contributors K. David Bishop (VENT Bird Tours), Colin Trainor (BirdLife International Asia Division)

IUCN Red List evaluators Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International), James Gilroy (BirdLife International), John Pilgrim (BirdLife International)

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Gallicolumba hoedtii. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 9/2/2010

This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.

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