Luzon Bleeding Heart

'''Habitat:''' Asia; the Philippines. The species is endemic to the central and southern parts of the large island of Luzon, and the neighboring small Polillo Islands, in the Philippines. It lives in primary or secondary forest, and can be found at altitudes varying from sea level up to 1400 meters.  

'''Status:''' Near Threatened. '''Global Population:''' Unknown amount of mature individuals. There are no data on population trends; however, the species is suspected to be in moderately rapid decline, owing to habitat loss and degradation, and hunting.

Local people use it for meat, but its striking appearance means that there is also a market for it in the pet trade. A captive breeding project has been started in Australia.

'''Breeding:''' On its upper surfaces, the Luzon Bleeding-heart is slate grey in color, but because it is iridescent, it can appear to be purple, royal blue, or bottle-green, and the apparent colour varies with lighting conditions. The belly and under wing areas are buff or chestnut. As in most pigeons, there is little sexual dimorphism; males tend to be larger and have a more pronounced red patch, and some authorities claim that the female has a purplish iris, though others dispute this. Body shape is typical of the genus, with a round body, a short tail and long legs.

'''Cool Facts:''' They get this name from a splash of vivid red color at the centre of their white breasts. The Luzon Bleeding-heart is the species in which this feature is most pronounced, and on first sight it is hard to believe that the bird has not recently been wounded. A reddish hue that extends down the belly furthers the illusion of blood having run down the bird's front.