It is virtually confined to moist evergreen, semi-evergreen forest, and moist deciduous forest (which may be used as corridors for local movements [Korparde et al. 2015]) including densely wooded ravines and hollows ("sholas"), chiefly in foothills and mountains up to c. 2,250 m, but there have been an increasing number of records in the lowlands down to 20 m (Taware et al. 2012, Praveen J in litt. 2007). Breeding has been exclusively recorded from natural forest but it does forage in 'Wattle' and mango plantations and occasionally visits moist deciduous forest, Pinus and Eucalyptus plantations to roost and preen (Somasundaram and Vijayan 2006, Taware et al. 2012). It is absent from tea and Acacia plantations. Most breeding takes place in montane temperate (shola) forests above 2,000 m and in very low densities in evergreen forests in mid-altitudes at 900 to 1,800 m (L. Vijayan in litt. 2007). It appears to make some nomadic movements in response to food availability and perhaps colder weather suggesting that its dispersal range is much larger than for most other species in the Western Ghats (Praveen J in litt. 2007). A study of its diet using direct observations and faecal sampling indicated that it feeds on the fruits of at least 39 plant species, the seeds of 11 species, flowers and leaf buds of four species and some ground-dwelling invertebrates (Somasundaram and Vijayan 2010). The same study found that fruits of species in the family Lauraceae were the most preferred. The species forages mainly by gleaning, predominantly at the edges of the upper and middle canopy, and the frequency of fruit consumption is correlated with fruit abundance (Somasundaram and Vijayan 2010). It generally breeds in March-July but has been recorded starting in November-December (Subramanya 2005).

Columba elphinstonii is endemic to the hill-ranges of the Western Ghats, south-west India.

Conservation Actions Underway
It is legally protected in India and occurs in several protected areas.

Conservation Actions Proposed
Monitor populations using robust monitoring protocols. Continue to use remote sensing data to study land-cover change within its range (i.e. monitor habitat trends). Assess the extent to which hunting is a threat.