Brown cuckoo-dove

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Brown cuckoo-dove
subspecies phasianella
subspecies quinkan

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Columbiformes
Family: Columbidae
Genus: Macropygia
Species:
M. phasianella
Binomial name
Macropygia phasianella
(Temminck, 1821)
Subspecies

See text

The brown cuckoo-dove (Macropygia phasianella) is a

Aurukun in the north to Bega in the south, and most inland at Atherton and Toowoomba. It is sometimes called the "brown pigeon" or "pheasant pigeon", but both terms are best avoided, as they can lead to confusion with the brown doves and the true pheasant pigeon. It was one of three new species defined when the slender-billed cuckoo-dove was split in 2016.[2]

Taxonomy

The brown cuckoo-dove was

binomial name Columba phasianella.[3][4] The specific name is a diminutive of the Latin phasianus, meaning "pheasant".[5] The brown cuckoo-dove is now placed in the genus Macropygia, which was introduced by the English naturalist William John Swainson in 1837.[6][2]

Three subspecies are recognised:[2]

Description

The brown cuckoo-dove is from 40 to 43 centimetres (16 to 17 in) in length. The feathers are a rich rusty-brown colour, and the short wings, long tail and back are darker. The males tend to have a slight rose/green colouration on their nape and neck.

The call of this dove is a very loud "whoop-a whoop" with some differences depending on the subspecies involved.

The brown cuckoo-dove inhabits

scrubland
and rainforest regrowth areas.

The doves can often be seen in pairs or groups. Its diet consists of berries from both native plants and introduced weed species. They can be nomadic, depending on the supplies of food. They tend to fly short distances and low to the ground with great strength.

Breeding occurs in spring and summer. The

egg
is laid.

Kobble Creek, SE Queensland

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Macropygia phasianella.
Wikispecies has information related to Macropygia phasianella.
  1. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22690571A93277985.en
    . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^
    Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (2020). "Pigeons"
    . IOC World Bird List Version 10.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  3. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.1821.tb00059.x
    .
  4. ^ Peters, James Lee, ed. (1937). Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. 3. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 80.
  5. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4
    .
  6. ^ Swainson, William John (1837). On the Natural History and Classification of Birds. Vol. 2. London: John Taylor. pp. 348–349.
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