Philippine Turtle-Dove / Paluman Senesa
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Philippine Turtle-Dove / Paluman Senesa
Streptopelia bitorquata
Introduced Species
The Philippine Turtle-Dove was brought to Guam by the Spanish in the 1770s. Originally from the Philippines, this bird adapted well to Guam's environment and spread all over the island.
A member of the pigeon family, the "paluman sinisa", as it is called in Chamoru, eats seeds and small fruit which it stores in a sack in its throat called a crop. The food is digested at a later time.
This bird nests year-round on Guam. It makes a weak nest of twigs in small trees and shrubs. Two eggs are usually laid, which the adults take turn sitting on and incubating for 17 days. Once the baby doves hatch, they are fed "pigeon's milk", a white liquid made in the lining of the crop, for one to two weeks. At this age, the chicks have to stick their beaks into their parent's mouth to eat this food. As they get older, their diet is shifted to seeds and fruit. They remain in the nest for about 16 to 19 days after hatching and during this time, they grow flight feathers and learn to fly. After leaving the nest, the young usually stay nearby and continue to be fed by their parents.
Paluman sinisa were once very numerous on Guam and a hunting season was set aside for this popular game bird. Although still found throughout the island, its numbers have declined in recent years and it has since been taken off the game list. Snake predation is the cause for the bird's decline. The snake eats the eggs and young of the turtle-doves. If the snake population can be controlled, the bird will probably recover quickly and can once again be hunted.
Guam Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy, 9/27/2005
