This handsome bird is called the Superb Fruit Dove – a species native to New Guinea, Australia, Solomon Islands and the Philippines. The bird’s plumage looks as if could be the by-product of its colourful diet of fruit, berries, figs and palms. Despite having a vivacious palette, these dandy doves are extremely difficult to detect within their dense rainforest habitat.
Even though the Superb Fruit Dove is plentiful in numbers, twitchers (birdwatchers) consider themselves lucky to spot one. And when they do, this species gets a "mega-tick" (to tick off the list) for it is both hard to find and extremely colourful.
PHOTO: LEILA JEFFREYS