Dark cuckoo pigeon
| Dark cuckoo pigeon | ||||||||||
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Dark cuckoo pigeon ( Macropygia phasianella ) |
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| Macropygia phasianella | ||||||||||
| ( Temminck , 1821) |
The dark cuckoo pigeon ( Macropygia phasianella ), also called chestnut pigeon or pheasant- tailed cuckoo pigeon, is a species of pigeon birds. It occurs exclusively in Australia.
Appearance
The dark cuckoo pigeon reaches a body length of 43 centimeters and is one of the larger pigeon species. Like all cuckoo pigeons it is long-tailed. The tail is used by her to balance even on thin branches. Sex dimorphism is only very slightly pronounced. The female lacks the pink sheen on the breast and neck, which is characteristic of the male's plumage.
The head and neck are deep reddish brown. The chest is red-brown. In the male, the upper breast shimmers pink. The underbust turns into a golden brown towards the belly and the lower tail covers. The throat is also golden brown. The back neck has a green sheen. The back, the wing-coverts, the rump and the middle tail feathers are dark red-brown, the feathers of the wing-coverts have rust-red edges.
distribution and habitat
The dark cuckoo pigeon is only found in Eastern Australia. Their distribution area ranges from Cape York and Queensland to Sydney . Further south she appears only as a random visitor. It is generally very common in the north of its range. It becomes increasingly rare towards the south. It increases especially in those areas where farmland is abandoned and scrubbed.
behavior
The dark cuckoo pigeon lives in pairs or in small groups in the lower area of the treetops, in the undergrowth and at the edge of the forest. It eats a wide variety of fruits and seeds. She uses many plants that are characteristic of secondary growth. It also eats the seeds of the introduced plant Lantana camara , which spreads very aggressively in Australia. She is basically a resident. However, some populations in the south are partially nomadic. Nests can be found throughout the year. The peak of the breeding season, however, falls in the months of July and December and thus in the dry season or the early rainy season.
The nest is erected on horizontal forks of branches. The clutch usually consists of an egg. In exceptional cases it can also contain two eggs. The breeding season is 16 to 18 days. The young birds, which after one day have long, dense, shaggy yellow dunes, are feathered after 12 days and leave the nest at 16 days.
supporting documents
Individual evidence
literature
- David Gibbs, Eustace Barnes and John Cox: Pigeons and Doves - A Guide to the Pigeons and Doves of the World. Pica Press, Sussex 2001, ISBN 90-74345-26-3 .
- Alois Münst and Josef Wolters: Pigeons - The types of wild pigeons. 2nd expanded and revised edition, Verlag Karin Wolters, Bottrop 1999, ISBN 3-9801504-9-6 .
- Gerhard Rösler: The wild pigeons of the earth - free living, keeping and breeding. Verlag M. & H. Schaper, Alfeld Hannover 1996, ISBN 3-7944-0184-0 .
