The Polynesian ground dove was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae.

[3] Gmelin based his description on the "Garnet-winged pigeon" that had been described in 1783 by the English ornithologist John Latham from a preserved specimen provided by Joseph Banks, that had been collected on the island of Moorea near Tahiti in French Polynesia.

[10] P. e. albicollis, which was described by Tommaso Salvadori in 1892, was used for the birds found on Hao, Hiti, and probably Tahanea, but is now thought to be a color morph and was synonymized with P. e. erythroptera in 2022 by the International Ornithological Congress.

[10] The Polynesian ground dove is only known from female specimens for the remainder of its range, and therefore the populations from these islands are not ascribable to a subspecies.

[9] The male Polynesian ground doves of the nominate subspecies have white foreheads, cheeks, throats, and breasts.

[13] The upperparts are a dark olive grey with purple or, if the feathers have faded, chestnut red iridescence on the hindneck and wing-coverts.

[9] In the Tuamotus it has been recorded on Arakita, Hao, Hiti, Maria Est, Marutea Sud, Matureivavao, Rangiroa, Tenararo, Tenarunga, and Vanavana.

[9] In addition, local reports have suggested that the Polynesian Ground Dove likely lived on Fakarava, Fangatau, Katiu, Makemo, Manihi, Reao, Tahanea, Tematagi, Tikehau, Tuanake, Vahanga and Vahitahi, although no specimens were ever collected from these islands.

[9] Originally, the Polynesian ground dove inhabited mountainous volcanic islands and nearby atolls and islets.

[9] The ground dove became locally extinct on most islands shortly after they were discovered by Europeans, and it is thought that the populations were already at low levels well before that.

[9][13] Additionally, a survey in the 1970s missed the population of ground doves on Rangiroa Atoll, implying that it may survive undetected on other islets.