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Spinifex Pigeon
(Geophaps plumifera)
: "Plumed Pigeon", "Red Plumed Pigeon", "Plumed Bronze-wing",
"Plumed Dove", "Red Plumed Dove", "Ground Dove"
Size: 20-24 cm
Weight: 70-130 g
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Physical description |
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 Click here for a physical description
Spinifex Pigeons are small pigeons. Their characteristic
feature is a red-brown cap with a long, whispy red-brown crest.
Their plumage
is mostly red-brown; different races have slightly different
plumages.
Race "ferruginea" has a red-brown front (neck, chest, belly, vent),
except for a narrow black chest band.
Race
"leucogaster" has a narrow white chest band above the black
one and its belly and vent are also whitish, instead of red-brown.
Nominate race
"plumifera" has a slightly different facial pattern.
Otherwise the races are identical. The frons is grey,
the eyes with yellow irises are surrounded by a red eye
patch. The upper part of the throat is white. Bill, gape,
eyebrow and the lower part of the throat are black, connecting
to a grey and a white patch on the cheeks. The wings are
boldly striped red-brown, black and grey, with some iridescent flight feathers. The
rump is red-brown, the tail is brown.
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See Spinifex
Pigeon at Wikipedia  .
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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Click here for information on habitat
and range
The overall distribution of this species can be assessed based
on sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to
ebird.org
.
The global distribution of the Spinifex Pigeon is available
HERE
.
NB:
Reports on ebird of birds submitted by birdwatchers from
the Australian Outback tend to be clustered along roads
and public areas such as camp grounds; in such cases their
distribution is not a good representation of the overall
distribution of the species.
There are three races of Spinifex Pigeons, all of which are endemic
to the northern half of the Australian continent. Nominate race
"plumifera"
populates the border region of tropical WA with the
Top End of the NT, from about Broome, WA, in the West to the area
south of about Katherine, NT, in the East. In this area they are
found up to about 500 km inland.
Race "ferruginea" is found in WA, in the area between the Gascoyne
River and the de Grey River, with an extension of their range from
the upper Gascoyne towards the South-East, about halfway towards
Kalgoorlie, WA.
The range of race "leucogaster" has a
very irregular shape (for
details see a field guide). This race is found roughly in the
southern (subtropical) parts of the NT and the far south-western
corner of QLD, much of the eastern NT, up to the eastern half of
the South coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria and from there further
into QLD, including the region around Mt. Isa, QLD.
As their name already suggests, Spinifex Pigeons have a preference
for "Spinifex"
grassland and also rocky hills. Being seed-eaters in
need of a daily drink, they will stay near water.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
Race "plumifera"
A Spinifex Pigeon, race "plumifera", was observed
by S. Kirkby in the Hammersley Ranges, northern WA, in June 2011.
J. Greaves reports spotting a Spinifex Pigeon, race "plumifera", at the
Kununurra, WA, sewage treatment works in January 2016.
P. Brown reports finding Spinifex Pigeons, race "plumifera", at Lake
Argyle, near Kununurra, WA, in April 2018.
Race "leucogaster"
C. Charles
reports spotting Spinifex Pigeons, race "leucogaster",
at Diamantina Lakes NP, south-western QLD, in August 2013.
B. Hensen found a Spinifex Pigeon, race "leucogaster",
at Ormiston Gorge, near Alice Springs, NT, in July 2018.
M. Mearns spotted a Spinifex Pigeon, race "leucogaster",
Diamantina NP, QLD, in September 2019.
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Photos |
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Race "plumifera"
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ADULT |
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Frontal view of a Spinifex Pigeon (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Lake Argyle, near Kununurra, WA, April 2018]
Lateral view of a Spinifex Pigeon (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Lake Argyle, near Kununurra, WA, April 2018]
Near-dorsal view of a Spinifex Pigeon (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Lake Argyle, near Kununurra, WA, April 2018]
Dorsal view of a Spinifex Pigeon (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Lake Argyle, near Kununurra, WA, April 2018]
Race "leucogaster"
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ADULT |
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Lateral view of a Spinifex Pigeon (photo courtesy of
B. Hensen)
[Ormiston Gorge, near Alice Springs, NT, July 2018]
Near-dorsal view of a Spinifex Pigeon (photo courtesy of
M. Mearns)
[Diamantina NP, QLD, September 2019]
Near-dorsal view of a Spinifex Pigeon (photo courtesy of
C. Charles)
[Diamantina Lakes NP, QLD, August 2013]
These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our
contributors.
The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species
please refer to a field guide.
Breeding
Nest
Eggs
Behaviour
Food
Call/s
