NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Torresian Imperial Pigeon
Ducula spilorrhoa (G. R. Gray, 1858)
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.
Torresian imperial-pigeon (Ducula spilorrhoa), George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens, NT, Australia
Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Torresian imperial pigeon (Ducula spilorrhoa), also known as the nutmeg pigeon, white nutmeg pigeon, Australian pied imperial pigeon or Torres Strait pigeon (Meriam Mir: deumer), is a relatively large, pied species of pigeon. It is found in forest, woodland, savanna, mangrove and scrub in Australia (north-east Western Australia, north Northern Territory and north Queensland, including the Torres Strait Islands), New Guinea, Aru Islands, islands in the Geelvink Bay, D'Entrecasteaux Islands and Louisiade Archipelago.
It has been recorded as a vagrant in New South Wales, Australia. As far as known, most populations are resident or only take part in minor local movements. The population in Queensland leaves for New Guinea in February–April and returns in July–August.
Wikipedia contributors, Torresian imperial pigeon; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T11:16:26.710883+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Ducula spilorrhoa (G. R. Gray, 1858)
- Name authority
- (G. R. Gray, 1858)
- Common name
- Torresian Imperial Pigeon
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Columbiformes
- Family
- Columbidae
- Genus
- Ducula
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
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
- genusDucula Hodgson, 1836
- speciesDucula spilorrhoa (G. R. Gray, 1858)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Ducula. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Green Imperial PigeonDucula aenea (Linnaeus, 1766) | ColumbidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Polynesian Imperial PigeonDucula aurorae (Peale, 1849) | ColumbidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Mountain Imperial PigeonDucula badia (Raffles, 1822) | ColumbidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Chestnut-bellied Imperial PigeonDucula brenchleyi (G. R. Gray, 1870) | ColumbidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Spotted Imperial PigeonDucula carola (Bonaparte, 1854) | ColumbidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Timor Imperial PigeonDucula cineracea (Temminck, 1835) | ColumbidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-bellied Imperial PigeonDucula forsteni (Bonaparte, 1854) | ColumbidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Silver-tipped Imperial PigeonDucula luctuosa (Temminck, 1824) | ColumbidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Mindoro Imperial PigeonDucula mindorensis (J. Whitehead, 1896) | ColumbidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Nicobar Imperial PigeonDucula nicobarica (Pelzeln, 1865) | ColumbidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Zoe's Imperial PigeonDucula zoeae (Desmarest, 1826) | ColumbidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Christmas Imperial PigeonDucula whartoni (Sharpe, 1887) | ColumbidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Ducula constans Bruce, 1989 Bruce, 1989 | synonym |
| Ducula bicolor spilorrhoa (G. R. Gray, 1858) (G. R. Gray, 1858) | synonym |
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=177391 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.
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:6DPCP. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.