These ground birds are very active in turning over the leaf litter as they search for insects. The Brush Turkey and the Wonga Pigeon eat fruit fallen from the canopy high above, dispersing the seeds away from the parent tree. The pigeons are strong fliers and travel great distances in search of fruiting trees. They are probably the most important seed dispersal agents as they eat a wide variety of fruit with seeds ranging from a millimetre up to two centimetres in diameter. Because they are such strong fliers pigeons are important in spreading seeds between isolated pockets of rainforest, helping maintain diversity.
Fruit bats are also important because they too eat fruit and then travel long distances.
Most pigeons feed high above in the canopy and are difficult to observe. True fruit pigeons have a non-muscular gizzard. This contrasts with the seed eating pigeons which have a muscular gizzard armed with small stones swallowed to aid in the crushing of seeds. This crucial difference has a big bearing on the survival and subsequent dispersal of seeds swallowed by these different types of pigeons. The Brown Pigeon has a muscular gizzard and eats a mixed diet of fruits and seeds, feeding low down in the forest.