Males are superbly coloured with a fiery orange nape, green ears, and a purple crown.

Native to Australasia, the superb fruit dove lives in the rainforests of New Guinea, Australia, Solomon Islands, the Philippines and Sulawesi of Indonesia.

In Australia, it is found from southern New South Wales around the town of Moruya and extends further north, where it becomes more common to Cape York in Queensland.

In some areas of its range, such as the New Guinean rainforest, it is a resident bird; in more marginal or seasonal habitats such as those in Australia, flocks are known to move about according to the availability of food.

Habitat loss is a primary threat, but the superb fruit dove is still fairly widespread and common throughout its large range.