IDENTIFICATION

VOCALISATIONS

The only vocalisation heard is the song, which is a repeated, rhythmic, low-pitched ‘wooop-pup’, the first syllable increasing slightly in pitch and more obviously in volume. There is some variation in the pace of delivery, while differences in the sound itself are often related to distance from the bird and intervening vegetation.

DISTRIBUTION & HABITAT PREFERENCE

Common Emerald Dove is found in most wooded habitats, including mature natural forest, forest edge, plantations, shrubland, fung shui woods and even small wooded groves from sea level to around 900m on Tai Mo Shan. However, the advertising call is most often heard in larger blocks of forest, suggesting that this may be its main breeding habitat. It occurs widely, but sparingly, across HK including most of the islands. Perhaps suprisingly, since it is primarily a forest species, whilst it does occur frequently in the older and more established forest blocks of the central New Territories, there is no concentration there, or indeed elsewhere.

Common Emerald Dove was recorded in 4.2% of 1 km squares in the first (1993-96) and 4.9% in the second (2016-19) breeding atlas surveys and in 2.2% and 2.7% of squares in the first (2001-05) and second (2016-19) winter surveys respectively. Though the lower number of squares in winter may be a consequence of birds being less vocal in midwinter (though they do call frequently in late autumn and early winter), it is also possible that some birds leave HK in winter (see below).

OCCURRENCE 

Common Emerald Dove was first recorded in HK on 9 March 1960 when one was seen at the University of Kong Kong. From the 1960s to the mid-1980s there was considerable debate regarding the provenance of birds here, with records first judged to be ex-captive, then as wild birds, and then re-evaluated as likely ex-captive.  It was not until Chalmers (1986) that its status as a naturally occurring element of the HK avifauna was finally settled.

The increase in the number of records, commencing in the 1970s and accelerating in the 1980s, was attributed by Carey et al. (2001) in part to natural expansion of the population, but also to the advertising call being much better known by observers. However, it must also have been a consequence of an increase forest area in HK. As such, it is perhaps surprising that the recent breeding and winter atlas surveys only appeared to indicate a limited further expansion in range since the first atlas surveys.

Common Emerald Dove was generally considered to be a resident (e.g., Carey et al. (2001)). However, it is now clear that at least part of the population in HK is migratory and/or dispersive. Regular observations on the island of Po Toi show a seasonal pattern of occurrence there, with birds occurring in spring in April to May and in autumn during September to December. In addition, on Tung Ping Chau there are records from January, April-May and September. Equally, though records at urban migration watch points are few, most have been in the spring and autumn periods.

BEHAVIOUR, FORAGING & DIET 

Common Emerald Dove is usually seen foraging along forest trails or on the forest floor itself or, perhaps more frequently, in flight as it is flushed by the observer. Most sightings are of single birds or, less often, pairs and it is not seen in parties or flocks. Whilst the peak count recorded in HK is of eight birds, these were recorded along a transect from Luk Keng to Kuk Po on 30 May 2015, not as a single party.

Diet has been little studied in HK. Corlett (1998) found food remnants in three faecal samples, two of which contained undamaged seeds and one invertebrate remains, whilst So (1998) recorded it eating seeds of Macaranga tanarius var. tomentosa.

BREEDING 

There appear to be no documented observations of nests in HK. Records of juvenile birds, some clearly very recently fledged, from 25 March to 10 November suggest that the breeding season may be protracted.

RANGE & SYSTEMATICS 

The range extends from Nepal and eastern India to the Lesser Sundas (Baptista et al. 2020). In China it is restricted to the southern provinces from Yunnan to Fujian, Zhejiang and Taiwan (Liu and Chen 2021, eBird 2023).

There are six subspecies, with the widespread nominate race found in south China including HK.

CONSERVATION STATUS

IUCN: Least Concern. Population trend decreasing.