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Brown Cuckoo-Dove

(Macropygia amboinensis)
: "Brown Pigeon", "Large-tailed Pigeon", "Pheasant Pigeon", "Brownie"
Size: 40-45 cm

Habitat
(for details refer to a field guide)

Brown Cuckoo-Doves inhabit a strip along the eastern coastline of Australia, from the tip of Cape York in the north to about the NSW/VIC border in the south. Their habitat extends into the hills of the Great Dividing Range, but not the interior of the continent. There are no Brown Cuckoo-Doves in Tasmania either.

Brown Cuckoo-Doves are usually found in and around rainforest, but are also known to go into more open forests.

Sightings

A Brown Cuckoo-Dove was first spotted by us 5 km east of Gloucester, NSW, in June 2009. Spotted again soon after, in July 2009, at Dorrigo National Park, northern NSW. Also seen by us at Bongil Bongil National Park in January 2011.

Photos

Frontal view of a Brown Cuckoo-Dove

Lateral view of a Brown Cuckoo-Dove - photo taken with a flash; when observed the bird was picking up rests of fruit from the ground, possibly from scats of other birds

Brown Cuckoo-Dove from behind - photo taken with a flash

Lateral view of a Brown Cuckoo-Dove - photo taken without a flash in early dawn light, unfortunately unsharp due to the difficult light conditions; it gives an impression of the bird's real colours, as they will be perceived during daylight

These pages are largely based on our own observations. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.