The beautiful Emerald Dove Chalcophaps indica is a widespread and fairly common resident, breeding in tropical southern Asia from the Indian subcontinent east to Indonesia and northern and eastern Australia. They usually occur in forested areas, and though wary (and probably under-reported in public forests where visitors tend to be noisy and move too fast to see anything around them) are reasonably approachable if followed quietly and slowly. They feed mainly on fallen fruit and seeds (including grass seeds, figs and bamboo), walking low to the ground under cover in singles or pairs.

This one - possibly a female judging by the reduced white on the shoulder and relatively subdued colours but perhaps a male (the blueish tinge to the crown might indicate a worn male) - was feeding along the edge of an embankment at Singapore’s Sungei Buloh wetland in November, and seemed pretty much unconcerned by either me or my camera. The last photo in the series was taken with the flash turned on, something I don’t normally like to do as it can dazzle a bird used to living in shadows and shade. I like to think it wasn’t too bothered, but the disdainful expression in its eyes as the flash went off seems to me to be saying, “Now why did you go and do that?” True to form it dropped down the embankment and disappeared a second later…

Birdlife International lists the Emerald Dove as Least Concern, but a less happy note is struck on a Singapore website which says that “…because of their beautiful coloration and soothing call, Emerald Doves are often trapped and sold as cage birds” - a typically shabby response to avian beauty in most parts of the world sadly.

 

This second bird included here to show the transverse white bars on the rump, was taken in Singapore’s Central Catchment Reserve in March. This one appears to be a female.

Photographs copyright Charlie Moores