Gould remarked that 'this fine and very rare species of Pigeon' had striking white, buff, and black markings under its wings and flanks, which, as the illustration showed, could only be seen when the wings were raised. The upper surface of the wings, tail and back are chocolate-brown with a bronze-purple gloss, and the back of the head is glossy green.
The zoologist, Alfred Wallace, who saw the pigeons in Celebes (now Sulawesi), recorded, 'Feeds on the ground and inhabits the drier forests, where it is very scarce.'
A.R. Wallace, Malay Archipelago, I, p.413
R.R. Wallace, Trans. Zool. Soc., VIII, p.85
DISTRIBUTION: Sulawesi