No, that’s not a dog barking from deep within Fiji’s forests—it’s a Ruve, also known as a Soqe, or Barking Pigeon (Dukula latrans). They can be found wherever reasonably extensive tracts of mature forest remain in Fiji. Ruve love fruit, but they specialize in feeding on large, hard fruits (such as those of the Veitchia joannis palm and some large nutmegs), which they swallow whole.  Ruve gizzards are specially adapted with hard, horn-like projections to be able to remove the flesh from hard fruits before the stone is regurgitated.

“Forests and Biodiversity – Too precious to lose!” is the theme of the upcoming International Day of Forests on March 21. Each day until then, we’ll be sharing information about a different bird highlighted in our special edition playing cards. We hope you enjoy learning more about the precious diversity you can find right here in our Fijian forests! #IntlForestDay #IDOF2020