Bleeding Heart Pigeon

(Gallicolumba luzonica)

Live: Luzon and Polillo Islands, northern Philippines.

Habitat: Forest, both primary and secondary, specifically in the understorey.

Diet: Seeds, berries, invertebrates.

Gestation: One or two creamy-white oval eggs are incubated by both parents for 17 days.

Status: Near threatened, due to hunting by humans for meat and trapping for the pet trade.

General: The upper plumage is grey, throat and chest are white. The male has a metallic purple-green sheen on the back of his neck. The most obvious feature is the patch of brilliant red feathers on the chests of both sexes. Shy, secretive and very quiet, they rarely leave the ground except when nesting. Courtship involves displays and vocalisations, and pairs tend to mate for life. (There are 5 species of bleeding heart doves.)

Their nest is a loose arrangement of a few twigs and leaves. Above ground but low, e.g. in shrubs.
Chicks are helpless and almost naked, and require a lot of care. They are fed crop-milk (a nutritious high-protein fluid produced in the crops of both parents).

Predators are native mammals,  reptiles, birds of prey, and humans.