Brown Cuckoo-dove
Encyclopedia
The Slender-billed Cuckoo-Dove, or Brown Cuckoo-Dove, Macropygia amboinensis, is a dove
in the genus Macropygia
. In Australia
, it is sometimes called "Brown Pigeon" or "Pheasant Pigeon", but both are best avoided, as they can lead to confusion with the brown dove
s and the true Pheasant Pigeon
. The taxonomy
of the Slender-billed Cuckoo-Dove is disputed, and some authorities split it into two species: M. amboinensis (Slender-billed Cuckoo-Dove) of eastern Indonesia
and Papua New Guinea
, and M. phasianella (Brown Cuckoo-Dove) of eastern Australia from Weipa and Aurukun in the north to Bega
in the south, and most inland at Atherton
and Toowoomba.
The Australia subspecies is from 40 to 43 cm (15.7 to 16.9 in) in length, but the subspecies from Indonesia and Papua New Guinea are typically about 35–37 cm (13.8–14.6 in) long. In Australia, the feather
s 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. In Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, many subspecies have whitish underparts, fine dark barring below and/or a whitish cap.
The call of this dove is a very loud "whoop-a whoop" with some differences depending on the subspecies involved.
The Slender-billed Cuckoo-Dove inhabits rainforest
, woodland, 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 nest
is a flat platform of sticks and vines, either in a fork of a tree or on top of a low tree. One, creamy white, egg
is laid.
Dove
Pigeons and doves constitute the bird family Columbidae within the order Columbiformes, which include some 300 species of near passerines. In general terms "dove" and "pigeon" are used somewhat interchangeably...
in the genus Macropygia
Macropygia
Macropygia is a genus of bird in the pigeon and dove family Columbidae. The genus is one of three genera known as cuckoo-doves. They are long tailed, range between 27–45 cm in length and have brown plumage...
. In Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, it is sometimes called "Brown Pigeon" or "Pheasant Pigeon", but both are best avoided, as they can lead to confusion with the brown dove
Brown Dove
Brown doves are members of the genus Phapitreron in the pigeon family. Their common name refers to their overall brown colouration. They are endemic to the Philippines. All brown doves are tree-dwellers, but the different species occupy different types of wooded habitats; some are more restricted...
s and the true Pheasant Pigeon
Pheasant Pigeon
The Pheasant Pigeon is a large terrestrial pigeon found in the primary rainforests of New Guinea and nearby islands. It ranges primarily over hilly and lower mountain areas, but can also be found in lowlands....
. The taxonomy
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
of the Slender-billed Cuckoo-Dove is disputed, and some authorities split it into two species: M. amboinensis (Slender-billed Cuckoo-Dove) of eastern Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
and Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
, and M. phasianella (Brown Cuckoo-Dove) of eastern Australia from Weipa and Aurukun in the north to Bega
Bega, New South Wales
Bega is a town in the south-east of New South Wales, Australia in the Bega Valley Shire. It is the economic centre for the Bega Valley.-Place name:One claim is that place name Bega is derived from the local Aboriginal word meaning "big camping ground"....
in the south, and most inland at Atherton
Atherton, Queensland
Atherton is a town on the Atherton Tablelands of Far North Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 census, Atherton had a population of 7,068.-Roads:...
and Toowoomba.
The Australia subspecies is from 40 to 43 cm (15.7 to 16.9 in) in length, but the subspecies from Indonesia and Papua New Guinea are typically about 35–37 cm (13.8–14.6 in) long. In Australia, the feather
Feather
Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds and some non-avian theropod dinosaurs. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates, and indeed a premier example of a complex evolutionary novelty. They...
s 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. In Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, many subspecies have whitish underparts, fine dark barring below and/or a whitish cap.
The call of this dove is a very loud "whoop-a whoop" with some differences depending on the subspecies involved.
The Slender-billed Cuckoo-Dove inhabits rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
, woodland, scrubland and rainforest regrowth areas.
The doves can often be seen in pairs or groups. Its diet consists of berries
Berry
The botanical definition of a berry is a fleshy fruit produced from a single ovary. Grapes are an example. The berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit in which the entire ovary wall ripens into an edible pericarp. They may have one or more carpels with a thin covering and fleshy interiors....
from both native plants and introduced weed
Weed
A weed in a general sense is a plant that is considered by the user of the term to be a nuisance, and normally applied to unwanted plants in human-controlled settings, especially farm fields and gardens, but also lawns, parks, woods, and other areas. More specifically, the term is often used to...
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 nest
Nest
A nest is a place of refuge to hold an animal's eggs or provide a place to live or raise offspring. They are usually made of some organic material such as twigs, grass, and leaves; or may simply be a depression in the ground, or a hole in a tree, rock or building...
is a flat platform of sticks and vines, either in a fork of a tree or on top of a low tree. One, creamy white, egg
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
is laid.