Flock bronzewing
| Flock bronzewing | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Columbiformes |
| Family: | Columbidae |
| Genus: | Phaps |
| Species: | P. histrionica |
| Binomial name | |
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Phaps histrionica (Gould, 1841) |
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The flock bronzewing (Phaps histrionica), also known as the flock pigeon, harlequin bronzewing and the harlequin pigeon is a species of pigeon in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to drier parts of Australia.
English ornithologist John Gould first described the flock bronzewing, known then as the harlequin bronzewing, in volume five of his book The Birds of Australia. It was originally listed under the genus Persitera. His first sighting occurred in 1839 along the Mokai River (upper section of Namoi River) within the Liverpool Ranges, New South Wales.
The flock bronzewing is the most nomadic of the Australian pigeons, and it is difficult to mistake for other Australian species. Fully grown flock bronzewings can range in length from 280–305 mm with a wingspan of 189–216 mm. Its weight can range from 260–320 grams.
The adult male's head is black except for the white forehead, patch on lower throat, and white line that runs from behind the eye almost enclosing ear coverts forming a broken ring. The upperparts and wings are a reddish sandy brown. The primary coverts and alula are grey with white margins. The primaries are grey with chestnut inner webs; all but the outer three are tipped white. The secondaries are grey except for the inner secondaries, which have a chestnut inner web. The iris is dark brown and the bill is black.
The upper section including the crown and forehead are sandy-brown. The black and white chin, face and throat markings are very dull compared to the male. There is a sandy-brown section across the foreneck and another difference is that the primaries are not tipped white.
Juveniles look most similar to the adult females, but have some differences such as missing or less distinct facial markings; the primaries and some secondaries are tipped brown and the bill is horn- coloured.
The main source of food is the seeds of grasses, herbs and shrubs, though the species occasionally browses on green shoots. With the introduction of cattle into the interior of Australia, the flock bronzewing has adapted to eating the undigested seeds from cattle dung. Some species of seed eaten include the desert spurge (Euphorbia tannensis), camel bush (Trichodesma zeylanicum), yellow daisy (Wedelia asperrima) and river grass (Chionachne cyathopoda).
More than any other Australian pigeon, the flock bronzewing is adapted to the arid plains of the continent. The preferred habitat is open grassland plains, clumped grasses and small shrubs with open spaces. A major area for this type of habitat where the flock bronzewings are present is within the grass plains of the Barkly Tableland.
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Wikipedia