It is a large and primarily greenish dove with a distinctive red wing patch and cream coloured breast which it was named after.

[4] The species' generic name comes from the Greek ptilon (feather) and pous (foot), while the specific epithet is in honor of Elmer Drew Merrill, an American botanist.

Its flight is fast and direct, with the regular beats and an occasional sharp flick of the wings that are characteristic of pigeons in general.

Nests have been found with a single egg, but there is not enough data to assume average clutch size [8] Its natural habitat is moist tropical primary forest up to 1,300 meters above sea level.

The IUCN has classified this species as near-threatened with the population on the declinedue to deforestation from land conversion, Illegal logging and slash-and-burn farming.

Birds of the World believe that this species should be uplisted to vulnerable as it has always been considered uncommon even in 1946 and has a fairly limited range despite being found across Luzon.