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Wonga Pigeon (Leucosarcia picata [melanoleuca]) Aboriginal name(s): "wululuyn", "walarun", "wumbin", "jawbir" [bundjalung]; "wonga-wonga" Size: 35-45 cm Body mass: 350-500 g

Australia: Family Group 11 Family Group 11 Table White-headed Pigeon Pied Imperial Pigeon Topknot Pigeon Crested Pigeon Spinifex Pigeon Flock Bronzewing Common Bronzewing Brush Bronzewing Squatter Pigeon Partridge Pigeon White-quilled Rock-Pigeon Chestnut-quilled Rock-Pigeon Black-Banded Fruit-Dove Wompoo Fruit-Dove Superb Fruit Dove Rose-crowned Fruit Dove Pacific Emerald Dove Nicobar Pigeon Brown Cuckoo-Dove Wonga Pigeon Peaceful Dove Diamond Dove Bar-shouldered Dove Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names Habitat pages Key plants Birds home page

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Wonga Pigeons are big, heavy pigeons. Their plumage is all grey, white and black. The face is white, with black lores; the cap and throat are light-grey and the neck is grey. The breast has a grey and white double-"V" pattern, while the underparts (belly, vent) are white with bold black spots. The back (nape of the neck, mantle, wings, tail) is grey. The wing tips are dark-grey. The base of the bill and eye-rings are skin-coloured, the legs and feet are pink.

Taxonomy, classification See Wonga Pigeon at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Wonga Pigeon is available HERE . Wonga Pigeons are endemic to Australia. They can be found along the East and South-East coast of Australia, from about Melbourne, VIC, to about Byfield NP, North of Yeppoon, QLD. Their range comprises only the coastal fringe and the Great Dividing Range to the watershed. Only in the catchments of the major rivers on the eastern side of the watershed they extend their range farther inland, e.g. in the catchment of the Burdekin River in subtropical QLD, where they are found to about Carnarvon NP, and in the Hunter River catchment, where they are found as far West as Capertee NP. Wonga Pigeons have a strong preference for dense growth, in coastal forest (preferably rainforest) and dense scrub. Where to look? How to find this species? Wonga Pigeons often forage on the ground on the margins of in rainforest or other, less dense forest. This makes it possible for birdwatchers to find them, e.g. on or near walking tracks.

Sightings Click here for sighting information A single Wonga Pigeon was seen by us taking off from the rainforest floor into the high canopy of a strangler fig at Iluka NR, NSW, in February 2012. B. Hensen reports spotting a Wonga Pigeon at Royal NP, NSW, in December 2012. They were found nesting at St. Albans, NSW, in November 2017. R. Plumtree occasionally spots Wonga Pigeons in East Gippsland, VIC. In December 2015 we spotted a single Wonga Pigeon in Capertee NP, NSW. M. Mearns reports spotting a Wonga Pigeon in inland QLD as far West as Bunya Mountains NP in December 2015. E. Scott reports spotting a Wonga Pigeon in Toonumbar State Forest, northern NSW, in October 2016 and again in February 2017. M. Eaton reports spotting a Wonga Pigeon at Moggill Forest Reserve, near Anstead, QLD, in August 2017, and at Queen Mary Falls, QLD, in July 2019. In November 2024, the species was also found in Lamington NP, Gold Coast, QLD. M. Mearns reports finding a Wonga Pigeon at Carmila Beach, QLD, in September 2019. This location is at the northern end of the species' range.

Photos

ADULT

Sex unknown

Near-frontal view of an adult Wonga Pigeon; note the pink bare parts (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lamington NP, Gold Coast, QLD, November 2024]

Close-up lateral view of a Wonga Pigeon (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lamington NP, Gold Coast, QLD, November 2024]

Lateral view of a Wonga Pigeon foraging on the ground (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Copeland, NSW, February 2013]

Near-dorsal view of a Wonga Pigeon (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lamington NP, Gold Coast, QLD, November 2024]

Near-dorsal view of a Wonga Pigeon (photo courtesy of E. Scott)
[Toonumbar State Forest, northern NSW, February 2017]

Ventral view of a Wonga Pigeon showing its cryptic posterior plumage (photo courtesy of E. Scott)
[Toonumbar State Forest, northern NSW, February 2017]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Near-lateral view of an immature Wonga Pigeon; ; its plumage already shows the chevron pattern of an adult, but the bare parts - at the base of the bill and legs and feet - are still grey (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Queen Mary Falls, QLD, July 2019]

Near-lateral view of an immature Wonga Pigeon; ; its plumage already shows the chevron pattern of an adult, but the bare parts - at the base of the bill and legs and feet - are still grey (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Queen Mary Falls, QLD, July 2019]

Lateral view of an immature Wonga Pigeon (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Moggill Forest Reserve, near Anstead, QLD, August 2017]

Close-up lateral view of an immature Wonga Pigeon (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Moggill Forest Reserve, near Anstead, QLD, August 2017]

Near-dorsal view of an immature Wonga Pigeon (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Moggill Forest Reserve, near Anstead, QLD, August 2017]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Oct - Feb

Eggs: 2

Incubation period: 18 days

Fledging age: 18 days

The breeding season of Wonga Pigeons depends to some degree on geographic latitude and may extend from September to March.

Nest building: ?

Incubation: Female & male

Dependent care: Female & male

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Rudimentary basket

Material: Twigs

Height above ground: 3 - 20 m

Near-frontal view of a Wonga Pigeon on its nest in the typical cryptic posture, with the tail raised high (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[St. Albans, NSW, November 2017]

Near-dorsal/ventral view of a Wonga Pigeon on its nest in the typical cryptic posture, with the tail raised high - the tail is usually directed towards the potential threat, with the bird peeking around the tail or over the edge of the nest to check for danger (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[St. Albans, NSW, November 2017]

Apart from the rapid growth of the chicks, the photos below demonstrate at least two more things: 1. Like other doves and pigeons, Wonga pigeons do not keep their nest clean; 2. over the course of 9 days the rim of the nest has almost been destroyed by trampling feet - time to get out soon!

Wonga Pigeon with two fluffy grey chicks, left, and - only 9 days later - with near-adult size young, right
(photos courtesy of B. Hensen)
[St. Albans, NSW, December 2017]

Lateral view of a Wonga Pigeon collecting nest material (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lamington NP, Gold Coast, QLD, November 2024]

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 39 x 28 mm

Colour: White

Shape: Elliptical

Behaviour

Social behaviour: ?

Mobility: Sedentary/dispersive

Elementary unit: Solitary/pair

Wonga Pigeons spend a lot of time foraging on the ground. When flushed, they fly up into the upper canopy with massive wing beats.

Wonga Pigeons also make extensive use of their cryptic posterior plumage for camouflage.

Not the type of photo one would normally want to show of a bird, but in the case of a Wonga Pigeon this classic "bum shot" may not be a matter of chance coincidence (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lamington NP, Gold Coast, QLD, November 2024]

Food, Diet

All pigeons and doves are strictly vegetarian. Wonga Pigeons are fruit-eaters.

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

Doves and pigeons do not, like other birds, open their bills when calling, but they rather "hum" through their noses, with the bill closed.

wonga_20170608.m4a	(SE QLD)	Contact calls (in rainy conditions)	© MD
wonga_20170608_1.m4a	(SE QLD)	Contact calls; long (in rainy conditions)	© MD
wonga_mm_20190915_bkgd.m4a	(Carmila Beach, QLD)	Contact calls (with Orange-footed Scrubfowl)	© MM
wonga_mm_20190915.m4a	(Carmila Beach, QLD)	Contact calls	© MM

More Wonga Pigeon sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

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.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.