Ptilinopus nainus
Silhouette: L. Shyamal · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The dwarf fruit dove (Ptilinopus nainus) is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is found in lowland and foothill forest in New Guinea and the Raja Ampat Islands. The dwarf fruit dove weighs 49 grams, about equivalent to the weight of two AA batteries. This bird is the shortest in length within the fruit dove genus, and perhaps the shortest columbid of all.
With a total length of 13–15 centimetres (5.1–5.9 in), it is the shortest pigeon or dove in the world, but as it is relatively stocky, this species is more massive than several other small doves, weighing at 49 grams (1.7 oz). Its plumage is overall green, but with contrasting yellow undertail coverts, and narrow bars to the wings. The inner wing-coverts and secondaries are more bluish in color compared to the rest of the body. This bluish-green coloring is most prominent on the scapulars; the body feathers that cover the top of the wing when the bird is at rest. The males have a dark purple patch on the belly and tend to have a gray patch on both sides of their upper breasts. The females look similar but lack these patches. Both males and females have a yellowish-green beak and purplish-red legs, in addition... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raja Ampat | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Dwarf Fruit-Dove sighting in Raja Ampat on a given day, based on 48 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 123rd most-seen of the 200 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Dwarf Fruit-Dove in Raja Ampat on a given day, against under 5% in December to September, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Dwarf Fruit-Dove sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Raja Ampat, in our data
Raja Ampat is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Dwarf Fruit-Dove sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same genus: Ptilinopus
The closest relatives of the Dwarf Fruit-Dove that you can see in Raja Ampat (genus Ptilinopus, Typical Fruit Doves) are Claret-breasted Fruit-Dove (about 40%), Wompoo Fruit Dove (about 20%) and Beautiful Fruit-Dove (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Dwarf Fruit-Dove is recorded against all the birds logged in Raja Ampat (48 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
