Family Pigeons, Doves (Columbidae)
Vulnerable
Partridge Pigeon (Geophaps smithii)
Taxonomy
French: Colombine de Smith German: Schuppenbrusttaube Spanish: Paloma de Smith
Other common names:
Partridge Bronzewing
Taxonomy:
Columba Smithii
Jardine and Selby
, 1830,Northern Territory, Australia
.
Subspecies and Distribution
G. s. blaauwi
Mathews, 1912 – NE Western Australia (Kimberley region).
G. s. smithii
(Jardine & Selby, 1830) – extreme NE Western Australia (Cockatoo Springs) and N Northern Territory (S to McArthur R).
Descriptive notes
23–28 cm; male 160–250 g, female 150–210 g. Head, neck, and upperparts grey-brown, with large area of red facial skin around the eye, extending from... read more
Voice
Advertising call a long, musical, low-pitched “cooooo”, while group members utter “coo-poo-poop” in... read more
Habitat
Well-watered tropical woodlands and open forest, especially eucalypt woods with understorey of ... read more
Food and feeding
Almost entirely granivorous. The most important families are grasses (Poaceae), especially Eriachne, and legumes (Fabaceae); both... read more
Breeding
Some breeding occurs year-round, but peaks in middle of dry season, May–Jul and most nest Mar–Oct. No flight display. Nest is a... read more
Movements
Little information available on movement patterns. Apparently only locally nomadic in response to... read more
Status and conservation
VULNERABLE. Formerly considered Near Threatened.
The global population was estimated in 2010 at 126,000 mature individuals. G. s. smithi was then... read more
Closely related to G. scripta. Races differ strikingly in colour of orbital skin (red in smithii, yellow in blaauwi), although colour variation thought possibly a result of dietary differences#R; said to differ also in amount of white in supercilium (extending only to front of eye in blaauwi, although black line below it continues as in nominate), and bicoloured supercilium formed by separate rows of black feathers and white feathers in blaauwi, whereas in smithii formed by one row of half-white and half-black feathers#R; races sometimes treated as colour morphs, with species therefore monotypic#R. Two subspecies tentatively recognized.