Black-banded Fruit-Dove — Australian Bird Identification Guide

Bird guideBlack-banded Fruit-Dove

Found only in the sandstone escarpments of Arnhem Land, its deep booming call echoes through Kakadu's gorges.

Spot this species Read on Wikipedia

⚠️Not listed

🌿Endemic to Australia

🍃Indigenous: Black-Banded Fruit Dove

At a glance

FamilyPigeons and Doves

SizeMedium

RarityUncommon

HabitatDistribution The species is endemic to Australia, where it is restricted to the western edge of the Arnhem Land escarpment.

Best timeMost reliable in Northern Territory from July to September.

Sounds

Sound sample

0:000:00

Recorded by Marc Anderson

Range map

Occurrence window

56visible hotspots

1167visible records

1states

Low confidenceMediumHigh confidence

Aggregated occurance data is sourced from 14 different actively-updating datasets including eBird Australia, iNaturalist Australia, BirdLife Australia, and multiple state-based bird surveys through Atlas of Living Australia.

Species notes

Overview

Generally hard to find. Yellowish-white head and chest, black breast band, gray belly, dark gray back and wings, and pale tip to blackish tail. Compare Torresian Imperial-Pigeon, an almost entirely white bird, with the exception of black outer wing and black tail tip. Loud, slow, repeated booming call.

Behavior

Nesting Lays single egg on open platform of sticks in a forest tree.

Gallery

Regional timing

Northern Territory

Peak: July to September1,167 records

Commonly confused with

Chestnut-quilled Rock-PigeonPetrophassa rufipennisIn flight, shows chestnut wing panels, and flies with a loud clattering of wings. Found only on the sandstone area of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, where it can be encountered at locations throughout Kakadu National Park and beyond.→Partridge PigeonGeophaps smithiiPlain brown plumage, with white stripe along the edge of the breast. Distinctive facial markings, with comical red (Northern Territory) or yellow (Western Australia) facial skin. Takes flight with a loud clatter of wings.→White-lined HoneyeaterMeliphaga albilineataRather plain medium-sized honeyeater found in sandstone escarpment and gorge country of western Arnhem Land, including the sandstone areas of Kakadu National Park and Katherine Gorge. Upperparts uniformly gray-green, underparts pale with diffuse gray streaks on chest. Dark cheeks split by thin pale gape mark that extends upward under the blue eye.→