NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Norfolk Ground Dove
Pampusana norfolkensis (Forshaw, 2015)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Norfolk ground dove (Pampusana norfolkensis) is an extinct species of bird in the Columbidae, or pigeon family. It was endemic to Norfolk Island, but became extinct due to introduced predators, disappearing within a few decades after European settlement in the late 18th century. There are no preserved specimens of the Norfolk ground dove and the majority of unambiguous information about the species comes from the single illustration made by John Hunter for the book Collection of 100 original watercolours of Birds, Flowers, Fishes and Natives done during 1788–1790 in New South Wales, pl. no 89, with a description "Dove. Norfolk Island". In the past the scientific name Columba norfolciensis Latham (1801) was used to refer to this species; however, the name was also used to refer to the common emerald dove and the white-headed pigeon, and it cannot be confirmed that Latham's original description of Columba norfolciensis refers to the species illustrated by Hunter. The name Columba norfolciensis was suppressed by ICZN in 2010.
Wikipedia contributors, Norfolk ground dove; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:17:42.808637+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Pampusana norfolkensis (Forshaw, 2015)
- Name authority
- (Forshaw, 2015)
- Common name
- Norfolk Ground Dove
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Columbiformes
- Family
- Columbidae
- Genus
- Pampusana
- Extinction status
- Recorded extinct
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderColumbiformes
- familyColumbidae
- subfamilyRaphinae
- genusPampusana Bonaparte, 1855
- speciesPampusana norfolkensis (Forshaw, 2015)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Pampusana. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Bronze Ground DovePampusana beccarii (Salvadori, 1876) | ColumbidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Palau Ground DovePampusana canifrons (Hartlaub & Finsch, 1872) | ColumbidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Polynesian Ground DovePampusana erythroptera (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) | ColumbidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Tanna Ground DovePampusana ferruginea (J. R. Forster, 1844) | ColumbidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extinct |
| Wetar Ground DovePampusana hoedtii (Schlegel, 1871) | ColumbidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-breasted Ground DovePampusana jobiensis (A. B. Meyer, 1875) | ColumbidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-fronted Ground DovePampusana kubaryi (Finsch, 1880) | ColumbidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Marquesan Ground DovePampusana rubescens (Vieillot, 1818) | ColumbidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-throated Ground DovePampusana xanthonura (Temminck, 1823) | ColumbidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Thick-billed Ground DovePampusana salamonis (E. P. Ramsay, 1882) | ColumbidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extinct |
| Santa Cruz Ground DovePampusana sanctaecrucis (Mayr, 1935) | ColumbidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Shy Ground DovePampusana stairi (G. R. Gray, 1856) | ColumbidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=1125238 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4C928. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.