The avifauna of Biak Island, Papua, Indonesia with comments on status, conservation, natural history and taxonomy
Author
Bishop, K. David
text
Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club
2023
2023-03-06
143
1
3
62
journal article
298463
10.25226/bboc.v143i1.2023.a2
6028cf6b-e944-40d1-b774-7caa1c970409
2513-9894
11642130
805136AB-F3FE-4C77-85AC-E37423156B6D
NICOBAR PIGEON
Caloenas nicobarica
# Near Threatened
Local name
Man Fmar Mandwan (Sansundi).
Range
C. n.
nicobarica
Ayawi, Numfor, Mios Num, and Kumbur and Nutabari
in the Auri archipelago.
Status
Resident? Collected on ‘Biak’ in
May 1915
by Feuilletau de Bruyn (
Hartert 1932
) who reported that the species used to be common but was nearly extirpated (
Feuilletau de Bruyn 1941
). Reported during October‒March on Kumbur and Nutabari in the Auri archipelago, south-west Teluk Cenderawasih (
Mitchell 1989
), whilst
Gibbs (1993)
stated ‘Apparently August to December there is a large colony of Nicobar Pigeons breeding on Ayawi Island’,
62 km
north-west of Supiori. Ajawai (Ayawi) was also listed by
Mayr (1941)
.
Gibbs (1993)
saw an immature in Biak town market. It has not been reported on Biak since.