The fruit dove is a bird that lives in Asia and Oceania. The fruit doves, also known as fruit pigeons, are a genus of birds in the pigeon and dove family. These colorful, frugivorous doves are found in forests and woodlands in Southeast Asia and Oceania. The doves have become endangered due to over-excessive hunting and habitat destruction. Out of all the fruit dove species, every single one of them are endangered.
The fruit doves were said to be critically endangered in 2018 by the IUCN red list because of its depleting population, a deadline approaching. One of the causes of them becoming endangered is because of how much they would sell. The rarity of these birds made them a very big target for hunters, and the fact that the amount of them was decreasing made every single one a little more expensive every time.
Next, the other cause for the endangerment of these birds; habitat destruction. Habitat destruction is the other main reason for these beautiful birds to lose their population. Fruit doves mostly live in tropical, moist rain forests. This is because of the food and climate that fits their needs perfectly. The food that these birds eat are fruit, figs, and camphor laurel. The birds need the rain forests to live, as this habitat is one of the only ones that provide enough food for them. The rain forests are looked to for resources by all places, as they have lots of fruit, wood, and medicinal plants used in all regions of the medical institute. Because of that, they are destroyed and consumed by people for all their resources, causing thousands of species to lose their homes, including the fruit doves.
Because the fruit dove has become endangered only recently in 2018, lots of people don’t even know that it is endangered. And, if they do know that it is endangered, they believe that other species of animals are more important. Fruit doves help ensure that fig seedlings have a chance to germinate from their droppings because of what they eat. Based on surveys undertaken between 2007-2012, the population is estimated at 16,230 birds.
