Luzon Bleeding-heart Dove

The Luzon bleeding-heart is a ground dove from the Philippines, named for a bright red patch on its white chest that, with a faint pink surround, looks like a bloodstain; a reddish hue extends down the belly. Its upperparts are slate grey, but iridescence can make them look purple, royal blue or green. It lives in primary or secondary forest at altitudes up to 1,400 m, eating seeds, berries and grubs. Shy, secretive and quiet, it rarely leaves the ground except when nesting. Unlike other bleeding-hearts it usually lays two eggs per clutch, and its call is a repeated, mournful coo lasting 1 to 2 seconds.

About the Luzon bleeding-heart dove

The Luzon bleeding-heart dove is a shy, ground-dwelling dove found only on Luzon and a few nearby islands in the northern Philippines. It belongs to Gallicolumba, a genus of ground doves called "bleeding-hearts" for the red patch on their chests. In this species the patch looks most like a real blood stain.

Its scientific name is Gallicolumba luzonica, and it is also called the bleeding-heart pigeon or punay. An older Spanish name, paloma de punalada, means "stabbed pigeon," and today it is often just called punalada. Adults measure about 30 cm (12 in) long, with a wingspan of about 38 cm (15 in), and weigh around 184 g (6.5 oz).

The body shape is typical of its genus: round body, short tail and long legs. The upperparts are slate grey but iridescent, so depending on the light they can look purple, royal blue or bottle green. The wings carry dark red-brown or black bands. The throat, chest and belly are white, and the bill is blackish. Legs and feet are red.

The famous "heart" sits in the middle of the white chest: a bright red patch ringed with faint pink, like a stain fading at the edges. The related Mindanao bleeding-heart has a larger red patch, but in the Luzon species a reddish wash runs down the belly, which strengthens the illusion of a wound.

Males and females look much alike. Males tend to be slightly larger, with a broader head and a brighter patch, but many birds can only be reliably sexed surgically. Three subspecies are recognized: one on central and southern Luzon and Polillo, one on northern Luzon with a darker, larger "heart," and one on Catanduanes with a darker crown.

Behavior and diet

Bleeding-hearts are secretive, quiet birds that spend most of their lives on the forest floor. They rarely leave the ground except to nest and roost, using low to medium trees, shrubs and vines. When approached, they fly only a short distance and then escape on foot into thick undergrowth.

They feed by walking the forest floor, picking up seeds, fallen berries, insects, worms and grubs. That habit may also make them useful seed dispersers.

The usual call is a single, mournful coo lasting one to two seconds that rises and falls slightly in pitch. It also has a gruffly delivered display call of three or five notes, and males give a soft "co-co-cooooo" during courtship. In courtship, the male chases the female with his breast puffed out to show off the red patch, then bows his head and coos.

Little is known about wild breeding because the birds are so hard to observe. Nesting has been recorded in May and June. Unlike other bleeding-hearts, this species usually lays two eggs per clutch. In captivity pairs are monogamous, often pairing for life, and can breed year-round.

Both parents incubate the two creamy white eggs for 15 to 17 days, swapping only twice a day: the male sits by day, the female by night. Both parents feed the chicks "crop milk," a protein-rich substance produced in the lining of the crop and close in makeup to mammal milk. Chicks leave the nest at 10 to 14 days, but the parents keep feeding them for up to a month.

At two to three months the young start growing adult plumage. In captivity, they must then be separated from their parents, which may otherwise attack or even kill them. Though fairly tame in the wild, the birds can become aggressive in captivity, and males often have to be kept apart. Lifespan is long for a small bird: usually about 15 years in the wild and often into the twenties in captivity.

Range and habitat

The Luzon bleeding-heart is endemic to the Philippines. It lives on Luzon, the large island in the north of the archipelago, and on the smaller offshore islands of Polillo and Catanduanes. Luzon has a wet season from June to October and a dry season from November to May.

It inhabits primary and secondary forest, especially lowland forest, from sea level up to about 1,400 m (4,600 ft). It depends on thick undergrowth for cover and spends most of its time on the ground beneath it. The islands of Luzon and Polillo are home to many rare endemic species, and the forests that shelter the bird also protect watersheds against erosion and landslides.

It occurs in a handful of protected areas, including Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park, Bulusan Volcano Natural Park and Mount Makiling, but protection from logging and hunting is still lax even there.

Conservation status

The Luzon bleeding-heart is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, in a 2024 BirdLife International assessment, and its population is declining. It has been listed on CITES Appendix II since 1975, and the Philippine Red Data Book also lists it as Near Threatened, making it a national conservation priority. Under Philippine law RA 9147, it is illegal to hunt, capture or possess one.

Habitat loss is a major threat. Forest is lost to illegal logging, slash-and-burn conversion to farmland, mining and growing cities. The eruption of Mount Pinatubo also damaged a great deal of land. Hunting adds pressure: the bird's beautiful plumage makes it a heavy target for the illegal wildlife trade, it is trapped for meat, and it is often caught by accident in snares set for red junglefowl and rails.

The species is widely kept and bred in captivity, but the genetic purity of captive birds is unknown, and different subspecies may have interbred. In 2020, 10 captive birds were sent back to the Philippines from abroad for eventual reintroduction to the wild. As of 2024 there had been no public update on whether that release happened.