The Pied Imperial-pigeon arrives from Papua New Guinea and Indonesia to northern and north-eastern Australia in August to breed on off-shore islands. They return to their wintering grounds between February and April.

In Queensland the birds leave the islands in the morning to forage on the mainland where they feed on small fruits and berries. They return in small groups in the late afternoon.

They used to be far more numerous but habitat loss and hunting for food and as an agricultural pest has reduced their numbers considerably.