Bar-shouldered Dove
Geopelia humeralis
Medium sized dove with a scaled metallic copper patch on the hind-neck. Gray face and neck, with a pinkish belly. Juveniles have a less obvious patch on the neck, and with more muted plumage and an eye-line could be confused with the much larger Common Bronzewing. Forages on the ground in small groups. This species is abundant in woodlands, towns, parks and gardens in northern Australia. Voice is often a repeated 6-note phrase (low-low-high low-low-high).
Identification
The dove has a blue-grey breast with chequered brown-bronze wings. The nape is similar to that of the peaceful dove in that the nape feathers are striated but differs in that the bar-shouldered dove does not have striated throat feathers like the peaceful dove. Furthermore, the nape feathers are copper in colour. These doves are also often confused with the introduced and common spotted turtle dove. The eye ring tends to be grey but red-brown when breeding. The juveniles are duller in colour.<p>Doves are often found in pairs, groups or large loose flocks and are seen commonly feeding on the ground feeding on seeds. Flight is direct and swift and wings whistle while the birds are in flight.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Geopelia humeralis
- Authority
- (Temminck, 1821)
- Order
- Columbiformes
- Family
- Columbidae
- Genus
- Geopelia
Range and habitat
Bar-shouldered doves are usually found in thick vegetation where water is present, damp gullies, forests and gorges, mangroves, plantations, swamps, eucalyptus woodlands, tropical and sub-tropical scrubs and river margins. They can be found in both inland and coastal regions. The bar-shouldered dove is found throughout the east coast from southern New South Wales (with increasing numbers in the Blue Mountains and Illawarra regions), north to Cape York Peninsula and west to the Pilbara region (about Onslow, Western Australia). They have been observed with increasing frequency in southern Australia (specifically north-western Victoria) but may have been displaced in other natural locations by introduced species[citation needed]. They have also been observed in the Torres Strait and are also found in other countries of the South Pacific region, such as Papua New Guinea.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Red-headed Fody
Foudia eminentissima
A sparrow-like weaver. Red-hooded breeding males are distinctive, but females and non-breeding males are drab. A Comoros endemic that is found in and adjacent to humid forest on the western three islands, and in drier, scrubby lowland habitats on Mayotte. Plumage varies across the different islands. The most distinctive birds, on Grand Comoro, have much less red on the breast than other populations. Can be very similar to Red Fody. Breeding male Red-headed Fody lacks red on the back and belly, though molting male Red Fody can match this pattern. Females and non-breeding males very similar to Red Fody, but Red-headed Fody is larger, darker, and more greenish, with a longer, slightly curved bill. Also similar to female House Sparrow, but distinguished by the more olive-green coloration and the longer bill. Calls are high, silvery notes, given in long series as a song.
Hutton's Vireo
Vireo huttoni
Drab olive overall with white eyering, bold wingbars, and thick bill. Found in forested areas with a mix of oak and conifers, usually foraging in the middle levels. Often in mixed flocks with other small songbirds. Resident along the Pacific coast from British Columbia to northern Baja and in interior mountains from Arizona and Texas to Guatemala. Remarkably similar to Ruby-crowned Kinglet, but thicker-billed and more sluggish; also note bluish legs. Also compare with Dwarf Vireo in Mexico. Listen for distinctive repetitive song of clear or buzzy notes.
Montane Double-collared Sunbird
Cinnyris ludovicensis
A medium-sized typical ‘double-collared’ sunbird with a long bill. Male has a very broad red breast band, bluish-violet rump patch, and a dusky belly. Female is dull gray-brown. Pairs and singles are common but extremely local in highland forests and thicket edges, restricted to distinct regions that perhaps represent three separate species: the Angolan scarp; Nyika Plateau of Malawi; and the Eastern Arc, Tanzania. Larger, with a broader red breast band on the male, than either Eastern Miombo or Forest Double-collared sunbirds; the latter also has an olive (not dusky) belly. Has a typical jumbled sunbird song.
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