Timor Imperial-Pigeon
Ducula cineracea
A large gray pigeon with yellow eyes and a dark bill. Shows uniform dark gray upperparts and paler gray head and underparts, becoming buff on the undertail. Juveniles display reddish-brown fringes to wing and tail feathers. Singles and pairs inhabit canopy of forest and woodland within foothills and mountains of Timor and Wetar. Distinguished from Metallic Pigeon by the entirely dark bill, the bright yellow eyes, the lack of red skin around the eye, and the lack of iridescent body markings. Gives a distinctive deep, stuttering, bubbling call, “brrrrrr,” sometimes preceded by a soft “whup” note.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Ducula cineracea
- Authority
- (Temminck, 1835)
- Order
- Columbiformes
- Family
- Columbidae
- Genus
- Ducula
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
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Poecilodryas cerviniventris
Small round songbird found in heavy vegetation along creeks and thick wet forest, including bamboo clumps, of northern-central Australia. Brown above, pale below, with broad white supercilium, dark ear coverts, peachy-rufous flanks and undertail, and white markings in wing and tail. Usually carries tail cocked upright. Compare White-browed Robin, which is completely white underneath (and note range). Vocalizations include pleasant, repeated soft whistle (with 3-5 notes) and a sharper whistled call.
Ashy Storm-Petrel
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Volcano Swiftlet
Aerodramus vulcanorum
A Javan endemic, this rare and enigmatic swiftlet breeds in the craters of a handful of active volcanoes. Forages over the craters and surrounding montane forest. Dark brown above and paler below, with a forked tail and paleish rump. Other dark swiftlets are unlikely up in the high altitudes where Volcano Swiftlet occurs, and average more square-tailed, though this can be difficult to judge accurately. Gives high-pitched screams and clicks.
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