Ruddy Cuckoo-Dove
Macropygia emiliana
Shy and unobtrusive dove of lowland and foothill forests, woodlands, and wooded plantations. Rusty brown overall, with a paler, more gingery head. Compare with similar, but distinctly smaller, Little Cuckoo-Dove, which has a paler, buffier chest, and is generally also more tolerant of cultivated habitats. Like many other cuckoo-doves, typically forages quietly in the middle to lower levels of forest, occasionally emerging out into the open to rest or forage. Gives a series of cooing hoots, often with a few quiet connecting notes in between (“WHOOhuhuWHOOhuhuWHOO”), though the latter may be difficult to hear at a distance. Also a more pronounced two-part “huWOO, huWOO.”
Identification
The ruddy cuckoo-dove is a medium-sized, reddish brown dove, that measures 30 to 37 cm (12 to 15 in) in length. It has a uniformly ruddy head, and purplish brown, black-barred breast. The neck is pink iridescent. The tail is long and slender, and lacks any pale grey or white at the tip. The central tail coverts are uniformly ruddy, and lack any black barring. The juvenile resembles the female in appearance, but is more strongly barred.
Taxonomy
The ruddy cuckoo-dove was first described by the French biologist and ornithologist Charles Lucien Jules Laurent Bonaparte in 1854. It was split from the slender-billed cuckoo-dove in 2003. It has two remaining sub-species:<p>Five former subspecies of the ruddy cuckoo-dove were reassigned by the IOU in 2016:
- Scientific name
- Macropygia emiliana
- Authority
- Bonaparte, 1854
- Order
- Columbiformes
- Family
- Columbidae
- Genus
- Macropygia
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Since 1988, the ruddy cuckoo-dove has been rated as a species of least concern on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species. This is because it has a very large range—more than 20,000 km2 (7,700 mi2)—and because although its population has been declining, the rate of decrease is considered to be less over 30% decline over ten years or three generations. In addition, although its population numbers have not been determined, it is thought to be above 10,000, which is above the criterion to warrant a vulnerable rating. It is described to be rarely found, but is common on the Borneo Island and on islands off the south and west coasts Sumatra. It is thought to face a population decline due to habitat destruction.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Southern Variable Pitohui
Pitohui uropygialis
A fairly large bird of mainly secondary lowland and foothill forest edge. As the name suggests, a variably plumaged bird. Males mostly have a black hood, wing and tail with belly and back, chestnut or orange-brown. Males and females of some races have a brown head. Very similar to Hooded Pitohui, but Southern Variable is usually found at lower elevation and has black rather than brown above the base of the tail. Song, a varied, jumbled warble.
Black-capped Tinamou
Crypturellus atrocapillus
Subtly colorful tinamou of dense habitats in the lowlands and Andean foothills. Almost exclusively found in bamboo thickets, but also occasionally found in dense riverside vegetation and secondary growth, including around agriculture. Rarely seen, but frequently heard throughout the day; it usually gives about one call note per minute, a springy “bwow”. The most helpful visual field mark is its bright orange legs; it also has a black or dark gray cap, and brown plumage with cold gray head and neck, and reddish orange throat.
Golden-headed Cisticola
Cisticola exilis
Tiny, sandy-colored bird with short tail and dark-streaked back. Breeding adult males have orange-gold crown. Song a thin, high-pitched, drawn-out buzzing. Inhabits grasslands of northern and eastern Australia, where perches prominently. In similar grassland habitats, Tawny Grassbird has much longer tail. Very similar Zitting Cisticola always has a streaked crown and a very different “tick-tick-tick” song but otherwise almost identical.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.