_Columba dusumieri_ Temminck, Pl. col., livr. 32, 1832, p. 188.
(Type locality, Vicinity of Manila, Luzon, Philippine Islands.)
_Colombe Dussumier_ Quoy and Gaimard, Voy. "Uranie," Zool., 1824,
pp. 35, 680 (Mariannes); _idem_, Ann. Sci. Nat. Paris, 6, 1825, p.
148 (Mariannes).
_Columba dusumieri_ Wagler, Syst. Avium Columba, 1827, p. 266, sp.
99 (Marianis).
_Columba Dussumieri_ Kittlitz, Obser. Zool., in Lutké, Voy. "Le
Séniavine," 3, 1836, p. 305 (Guahan).
_Streptopelia gaimardi_ Bonaparte, Consp. Avium, 2, 1854, p. 66
(Type locality, Mariannes); _idem_, Comptes Rendus Acad. Sci.
Paris, 40, 1855, p. 18 (Mariannes); Reichenbach, Tauben, 1862, p.
76 (Mariannen).
_Turtur (Streptopelia) Giamardi_ Gray, Cat. Birds Trop. Is.
Pacific Ocean, 1859, p. 43 (Guam).
_Turtur gaimardi_ Gray, Hand-list Birds, 2, 1870, p. 239 (Marian).
_Turtur dussumieri_ Schlegel, Mus. Pays-Bas, 6, no. 35, 1873, p.
120 (Mariannes); Wiglesworth, Abhandl. Und Ber. Zool. Mus.
Dresden, no. 6, 1890-1891 (1891), p. 54 (Marianne); Salvadori,
Cat. Birds British Mus., 21, 1893, p. 423 (Mariannes); Oustalet,
Nouv. Arch. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris, (3), 7, 1895, p. 222 (Guam);
Hartert, Novit. Zool., 5, 1898, p. 60 (Guam, Saipan); Wheeler,
Report Island of Guam, 1900, p. 13 (Guam); Seale, Occ. Papers
Bernice P. Bishop Mus., 1, 1901, p. 43 (Marianas); Safford,
Osprey, 1902, p. 68 (Marianas); _idem_, Amer. Anthro., 4, 1902, p.
711 (Guam); _idem_, The Plant World, 7, 1904, p. 264 (Guam);
Dubois, Syn. Avium, 2, 1904, p. 760 (Marianne); Safford, Contr. U.
S. Nat. Herb., 9, 1905, p. 78 (Guam); Schnee, Zeitschr. f.
Naturwisch., 82, 1912, p. 466 (Marianen); Prowazek, Die deutschen
Marianen, 1913, p. 101 (Marianen); Reichenow, Die Vögel, 1, 1913,
p. 341 (Marianen); Cox, Island of Guam, 1917, p. 20 (Guam).
_Streptopelia dussumieri_ Kuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia,
1922, p. 54 (Guam, Saipan); Mathews, Syst. Avium Australasianarum,
1, 1927, p. 62 (Marianas); Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932,
p. 189 (Saipan, Tinian, Rota).
_Tuttur dessumieri_ Bryan, Guam Rec., vol. 13, no. 2, 1936, p. 24
(Guam).
_Streptopelia bitorquata dusumieri_ Peters, Check-list Birds
World, 3, 1937, p. 96 (Marianne); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d
ed., 1942, p. 211 (Saipan, Tinian, Rota); Mayr, Birds Southwest
Pacific, 1945, p. 289 (Marianas); Watson, The Raven, 17, 1946, p.
41 (Guam); Downs, Trans. Kansas Acad. Sci., 49, 1946, p. 96
(Tinian); Strophlet, Auk, 1946, p. 538 (Guam); Stott, Auk, 1947,
p. 526 (Saipan); Baker, Smithson. Misc. Coll., vol. 107, no. 15,
1948, p. 60 (Guam, Rota).
_Streptopelia bitorquata_ Baker, Trans. 11th N. American Wildlife
Conf., 1946, p. 208 (Guam); _idem_, Condor. 49, 1947, p. 125
(Guam).
_Geographic range._--Philippine Islands, Sula Archipelago, northern
Borneo. In Micronesia: Mariana Islands (introduced)--Guam, Rota,
Tinian, Saipan.
_Characters._--Adult: A medium-sized dove with head and nape near
"light Quaker drab" with a vinous tinge; chin and upper throat
whitish becoming near "vinaceous buff" on lower throat and to near
"vinaceous-faun" on breast and upper abdomen; lower abdomen, vent,
and under tail-coverts white; tibia grayish; neck feathers dark
with grayish centers and metallic greenish-slate edges; color near
"Japan rose"; back, rump, upper tail-coverts, scapulars, upper
wing-coverts, and inner secondaries dark "drab"; sides, upper wing
coverts, outer secondaries, and under wing-coverts lead colored;
primaries blackish edged with light gray; central tail feathers
like back but paler, outer feathers of tail darker with brownish
tinge on edges; outermost tail feathers blackish tipped with gray
and with outer webs whitish; bill dark; feet reddish; iris orange.
_Measurements._--Measurements of 15 adult males from Guam, Rota
and Tinian: wing, 154-162 (158); tail, 127-135 (130); culmen,
16.2-18.1 (17.2); tarsus, 24-27 (25.5); of 10 adult females from
Guam and Rota: wing, 150-162 (156); tail, 120-130 (127); culmen,
16.2-19.1 (17.5); tarsus, 24-26 (25). No differences in
measurements were found between populations from Guam, Rota and
Tinian.
_Weights._--The author (1948:61) reports the weights of five adult
males as 130-167 (152) and of six adult females as 135-159 (146).
These birds were taken at Guam.
_Specimens examined._--Total number, 27 (16 males, 11 females), as
follows: Mariana Islands, USNM--Guam, 21 (Feb. 7, May 25, 26, June
9, July 6, 7, 10, 18, 23, Aug. 2, 11, Sept. 8, Oct. 8)--Rota, 4
(Oct. 18, 22, 23, Nov. 2)--Tinian, 2 (Oct. 24, 25).
_Nesting._--The NAMRU2 party found evidences of nesting by this
dove at Guam in February, March, April, and June. Nests were
observed on May 29 and June 28. On the latter date a nest
containing one nestling and one unhatched egg was found near Mount
Santa Rosa. The nest was situated approximately five feet from the
ground in a low bush. Two eggs taken by Necker at Rota on October
31, 1945, are white and measure 29.6 by 23.0 and 30.1 by 23.0.
Strophlet (1946:538) observed a bird carrying nest materials at
Guam on November 13. Hartert (1898:60) reports on nests found at
Guam in April and May. Each nest contained one egg. It is probable
that this bird nests at all times of the year. The nuptial flight
of these birds reminds one very much of that of the mourning dove
of North America.
_Remarks._--The Philippine Turtle Dove was introduced from the
Philippines to Guam and other islands of the southern Marianas by the
Spanish probably in the 18th Century; it was in 1771-1774 that the
Philippine deer (_Rusa_) was introduced to Guam. Perhaps these birds
were initially introduced as caged birds or possibly were liberated to
offer hunting for the colonial governors. They have been a very
successful introduction and are well established. At Guam (see Baker
1947b:124), this species comprised 15.5 percent of all birds seen along
roadways. Although open areas appear to be preferred by this dove and
although it may be on the increase owing to the clearing operations of
the war effort, it appears to be equally adapted to forested areas and
coconut groves. It feeds on the ground to a large extent, fitting into
an ecologic niche which few other species of birds of the islands
occupy. It was even observed feeding on sandy beaches and tidal flats at
low tide.
In 1931, Coultas found the dove to be numerous at Guam, but thought that
it was in danger of extinction at Tinian and Saipan owing to extensive
hunting. Downs (1946:96) reported that in 1945 the dove was abundant at
Tinian. Gleise (1945:22) estimated the population of these doves at 300
on Tinian in 1945. From the remarks of Stott (1947:526), we may assume
that the population at Saipan is in no immediate danger of extinction.
A comparison of specimens from the Marianas with those from the
Philippines reveals no significant difference between the two. Bonaparte
described the dove in the Marianas as new, naming it _Streptopelia
gaimardi_. The name _Turtur prevostianus_ has been used by some authors
to denote the dove in the Marianas, but this was through error as
explained by Salvadori (1893:410). This name refers to a dove found on
Marianne, an island of the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean.
=Gallicolumba canifrons= (Hartlaub and Finsch)