Columba vitiensis
Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The metallic pigeon (Columba vitiensis) also known as white-throated pigeon, is a medium-sized bird up to 37 cm long, in the family Columbidae. Columba vitiensis forms a chain of eight living and one extinct subspecies that once extended from Japan to Australia:
This subspecies is characterized by a purple-chestnut crown that contrasts sharply with the neck and dorsal region. Notably, the ventral plumage remains consistently grey, lacking the rufous terminal fringes typically observed in other subspecies, even when the feathers are worn.
Its existence is known only from early accounts and a painting by Raper, which likely portrays this bird. It is characterized by having the throat grey in both sexes. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raja Ampat | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Prague Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 3 | Zoo Pilsen | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 4 | Parc zoologique et forestier Michel-Corbasson | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 5 | Rákosův pavilon | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 6 | Velemlokárium | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 7 | Port Moresby Nature Park | 🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Metallic Pigeon sighting in Raja Ampat on a given day, based on 25 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 144th 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 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Metallic Pigeon in Raja Ampat on a given day, against under 5% in December to October, the lowest months.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Metallic Pigeon sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 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 Metallic Pigeon sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Columbidae
The closest relatives of the Metallic Pigeon that you can see in Raja Ampat (family Columbidae, Pigeons and Doves) are Pinon Imperial-Pigeon (about 60%), Spice Imperial-Pigeon (about 40%) and Claret-breasted Fruit-Dove (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Metallic Pigeon is recorded against all the birds logged in Raja Ampat (25 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.
