The Negros Bleeding-heart, Gallicolumba keayi, is one of a number of species of ground doves in the genus
Gallicolumba that are called "bleeding-hearts". They get this name from a splash of vivid red color at the center
of their white breasts. The local name for this species is punalada. Like all bleeding-hearts, the Negros Bleeding-heart
is endemic to the Philippines where it is found on the islands of Negros and Panay.

This species has an extremely small, severely fragmented population. Continuing rates of forest loss on the two islands
where it occurs suggest that it will continue to decline, thereby qualifying it as critically endangered.

Habitat/Behavior: 25cm (10-in) total length. Ground-feeder but roosts and nests on bushes or vines; seen in pairs in a
flock. Birds with enlarged gonads recorded in April and May and a recent fledgling obtained on May 3.
Nest and eggs are undescribed.
Text: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negros_Bleeding-heart


Negros Bleeding-heart, Gallicolumba keayi
Baylis & Fletcher
http://www.arkive.org

Aside from the elusive Negros Fruit dove (Ptilinopus arcanus), which has not been sighted since its first discovery in 1953,
another species bearing the name Negros on its common name is a facing severe threat of extinction in the wild, and this
is the Negros Bleeding-heart (Gallicolumba keayi). This beautiful and colorful species is already included in the list of
globally threatened species classified as critically endangered, which means its population and distribution are getting
limited and it is already highly susceptible to extinction. Before its discovery in Panay in 1997, the Negros Bleeding-heart
was only known to exist in Negros Island and nowhere else in the world.

Close to Extinction - Negros Bleeding Heart - Gallicolumba keayi,
Photo: Don Sausa

There are at least five species of bleeding-heart pigeons in the Philippines and these are all island endemics and declared
as threatened species. The Luzon Bleeding-heart, Gallicolumba luzonica is classified as near threatened while the
Mindanao Bleeding-heart, Gallicolumba criniger falls under the endangered category. Just like the Negros Bleeding-heart,
the Mindoro Bleeding-heart, Gallicolumba platenae and the Sulu Bleeding-heart, Gallicolumba menagei are listed as
critically endangered. It should be noted that those declared as highly threatened are found in islands with limited
landmass unlike the mainland of Luzon and Mindanao.
text: http://samutsaringbuhay.wordpress.com