Spinifex Pigeon Geophaps plumifera Scientific name definitions

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Spinifex Pigeon (Rufous-bellied)

20–22 cm; wingspan 30–35 cm. Thin, erect crest , with red-brown crown, blue-grey forehead , white chin and face-stripe, black throat, rich red-brown back , rump  , tail and wings, black-and-grey barred wing-coverts  , metallic bronze-green wingpatch, and underparts red-brown; orbital skin scarlet-red, eyes red, bill blackish, and legs and feet black. In contrast to formerly conspecific G. plumifera has throat-band tinged pink, feathers of hindneck have pale rufous-brown fringes, sides of neck light rufous-brown, upperparts have slightly redder tinge, back, rump and uppertail-coverts rufous-brown to brown, scapu lars have mostly rufous-brown fringes, underparts entirely pale rufous-brown except undertail-coverts and narrow band of barred feathers on breast, but no band of white above barred breastband, and upperwing-coverts more rufous, with broad rufous-brown tips.

Spinifex Pigeon (White-bellied)

20–24 cm; male 73–130 g, female 70–110 g; wingspan 30–35 cm. Head and neck pale brown to rufous-brown, with bold facial markings  ; black supercilium extends from base of maxilla over bright-red facial mask to above ear-coverts, bordered above by grey forehead and tapering grey line on sides of crown; black moustachial stripe merges with black chin and extends from base of mandible below facial mask; broad white band extends across throat , narrowing below eye, to sides of neck; lower throat and lower ear-coverts black, grading sharply to grey on upper ear-coverts; crown, crest  , nape and hindneck reddish brown; mantle pale grey-brown, barred dark brown on back; scapulars dark brown, barred paler; rest of upperparts and tail brown with black tips to outer rectrices; secondary-coverts rufous-brown, with black and pale grey barring; secondaries brown, finely edged buff on outer secondaries, with iridescent green or purple patch on inner secondaries; outerwing rufous-brown with broad dark brown trailing edge and brown speckling on coverts; underparts generally light rufous-brown below, with white on belly and vent, and black breastband bordered above by second narrow white breastband; irides orange to yellow; bill grey-black to black; facial skin and orbital ring red, and legs and feet dark purplish grey to purplsih brown. Sexes similar. Juvenile has head and neck mostly rufous-brown, lacking facial pattern of adults, except black supercilium and scattered white and black feathers on throat and sides of neck; crest shorter than in adult; upperparts mostly brown, with rufous scaling and iridescent dark barring; upperwing-coverts light rufous-brown, with darker speckling on secondary-coverts and pale barring to larger coverts; light buff-brown below, with indistinct breastband; iris greenish yellow; bill brownish red; orbital skin tan; legs and feet reddish brown. Race leucogaster  has extensive white on lower breast, belly and vent, with upperparts paler brown than nominate and buffy fringes to many feathers. Hybrid ferruginea × plumifera similar to former, but have much paler buff-brown to pink-buff breast and belly, and broad tips of wing-coverts slightly paler; hybrid plumifera × ferruginea vary considerably, though most are similar to previous hybrid, but have narrow white upper breastband and patchy white lower breast; some very similar to nominate plumifera, others have only small area of white.

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Spinifex Pigeon (Rufous-bellied)

Along with G. plumifera sometimes isolated in genus Lophophaps. Has normally been treated as conspecific with G. plumifera but present species shows no distinct narrow white band across mid-belly above narrow grey-and-black band (2), no broad white belly patch (3), and chestnut vs rufous mid-crown to hindcrown, dorsal scaling, rump to uppertail and inner webs of primaries (2); a narrow zone of intergradation exists around the Fitzroy R (1 Higgins, P. J., and S. J. J. F. Davies, Editors (1996). Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Volume 3. Pratincoles to Pigeons. Oxford University Press, Melbourne, Australia. Close ) (2). Some authors have considered the variation as referring to colour morphs. Population between Kimberleys and Great Sandy Desert described as race mungi, supposedly somewhat less reddish below than individuals to SW, but considered very poorly differentiated. Monotypic.

Spinifex Pigeon (White-bellied)

Along with G. ferruginea sometimes isolated in genus Lophophaps. Has normally been treated as conspecific with G. ferruginea; indeed, some authors have considered the variation as referring to colour morphs. Present species shows a distinct narrow white band across mid-belly above narrow grey-and-black band (2), a broad white belly patch (3), and rufous vs chestnut mid-crown to hindcrown, dorsal scaling, rump to uppertail and inner webs of primaries (2); a narrow zone of intergradation exists around the Fitzroy R (1 Higgins, P. J., and S. J. J. F. Davies, Editors (1996). Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Volume 3. Pratincoles to Pigeons. Oxford University Press, Melbourne, Australia. Close ) (2). Proposed race proxima (SW Kimberley region of Western Australia) is intermediate between nominate race of present species and N population of G. ferruginea (2 Schodde, R. and Mason, I.J. (1997). Aves (Columbidae to Coraciidae). In: Houston, W.W.K. & Wells, A. eds. (1997). Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Vol. 37(2). CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne. Close ). Two subspecies normally recognized.

Spinifex Pigeon (Rufous-bellied)

W Western Australia from De Grey R S to Gascoyne R and E to Carnarvon Range; isolated population of intergrades in W Kimberley (E to Camballin).

Spinifex Pigeon (Rufous-bellied)

Like G. plumifera is typical of arid grassland dominated by tussock-forming spinifex grasses, sometimes with scattered mulga or sandstone outcrops, and savanna woodland. Absent from areas without reliable water supply.

Spinifex Pigeon (White-bellied)

Typically found in arid grassland  dominated by tussock-forming spinifex grasses of the genera Triodia and Plectrachne; also a variety of kinds of open woodland, especially with rocky  ridges, in which spinifex is replaced by other grass species, as well as rocky creek beds. Absent from areas without reliable water supply, but occasionally near habitation, e.g. gardens, paddocks and roadsides.

Spinifex Pigeon (Rufous-bellied)

One of the few birds of Australian arid zone that is largely sedentary, undertaking only local movements and gathering at waterholes during droughts. Found in coveys of 5–50 birds outside breeding season. Almost entirely terrestrial; when flushed, it rises with a quail-like whirr of wings, and then glides on downcurved wings.

Spinifex Pigeon (White-bellied)

One of the few birds of the Australian arid zone that is largely sedentary, undertaking only local movements and gathering at waterholes during droughts (once c. 400 birds), but flocks remain discrete and depart in direction from which they came. When not breeding, regularly found in same place. Found in coveys of 5–150 birds outside breeding season, though usually only up to 20, which apparently remain comparatively stable in composition over time. Almost entirely terrestrial; when flushed, it rises with a quail-like whirr of wings, and then glides on downcurved wings, but usually runs away rather than flies and is reportedly difficult to flush from ground.

Spinifex Pigeon (Rufous-bellied)

Almost entirely granivorous; one study in Western Australia reported seeds of Poaceae (Sporobolus australasicus, Triodia pungens), Amaranthaceae (Amaranthus, Gomphrena), Boraginaceae (Halgania cyanea, Trichodesma zeylanicum), Capparaceae (Cleome viscosa), Euphorbiaceae (Euphorbia australis, E. tannensis, Phyllanthus sp., P. maderaspatensis), Fabaceae (Psoralea, Tephrosia), Mimosaceae (Mollugo molluginis), Myrtaceae (Eucalyptus), Polygalaceae (Polygala rhinanthoides), as well as green leaves and insects (isopterans, coleopterans, dipterans and hymenopterans). Feeds exclusively on ground; usually in small flocks, but sometimes encountered in pairs or larger flocks.

Spinifex Pigeon (White-bellied)

Almost entirely granivorous, with only very small quantities of insects taken; in one study, herb seeds formed 55% of diet by volume, grasses 32% and fallen seeds of shrubs and trees 13%; important food plant families include Amaranthaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Brassicaceae and Capparaceae (herbs), Poaceae (grasses) and Fabaceae and Myrtaceae (trees and shrubs); around Alice Springs, diet included seeds of Poaceae (Brachiaria, Dactyloctenium radulans, Echinochloa, Enneapogon polyphyllus, Sorghum plumosum, Setaria surgens, Triticum aestivum), Amaranthaceae, Asteraceae, Boraginaceae (Trichodesma), Brassicaceae (Lepidium rotundum), Capparaceae (Cleome viscosa), Chenopodiaceae (Atriplex elachophylla), Convolvulaceae (Convolvulus erubescens), Euphorbiaceae (Euphorbia tannensis, Sauropus trachyspermus), Fabaceae (Tephrosia eriocarpa), Malvaceae (Abutilon), Mimosaceae (Acacia), Nyctaginaceae (Boerhavia diffusa), Portulacaceae (Calandrinia), as well as green leaves and insects (isopterans, coleopterans, dipterans and hymenopterans). Seeds recorded in stomach contents in C Western Australia were grass, probably Setaria sp., Hibiscus sp., Sida and Eucalyptus. Feeds exclusively on the ground ; usually seen in small flocks of up to 20 individuals, but sometimes encountered in pairs or larger flocks up to 150 birds. One of the few bird species in this habitat to remain comparatively active throughout the day; usually forage in late morning and evening, mainly before noon. Said to drink water twice or day or even more, travelling > 2 km to reach sources.

Spinifex Pigeon (Rufous-bellied)

Does not apparently differ from G. plumifera, although some authors have suggested that G. p. leucogaster does differ from the present species; a soft, high-pitched “coo” or “cooloo-coo”; also a deep, guttural “coo-r-r-r” (3 Pizzey, G., and F. Knight (1997). Field Guide to the Birds of Australia. Angus & Robertson and HarperCollins, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Close ).

Spinifex Pigeon (White-bellied)

Gives a soft, high-pitched “coo” or “cooloo-coo”, with last syllable loud, clear and slightly higher-pitched, in advertisement, as well as a musical “u-coorh(wa)-coorh(wa)”, a single note, followed by audible inspiration (shown in brackets), uttered at bottom of each bob of bowing display; also a deep, guttural “coo-r-r-r” in contact, uttered in series, each call separated from next by 0·8–1 second and similar to advertisement (3 Pizzey, G., and F. Knight (1997). Field Guide to the Birds of Australia. Angus & Robertson and HarperCollins, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Close ).

Spinifex Pigeon (Rufous-bellied)

Most aspects probably similar to G. plumifera (which see). Can breed year-round, but most nesting is apparently in spring and early summer (e.g. Aug–Sept), though a female was incubating two eggs in Chichester Range in May; breeding is stimulated by rainfall, but species capable of breeding under all but most severe drought conditions. 

Spinifex Pigeon (White-bellied)

Can breed year-round and nests found in most months, but most nesting apparently in spring and early summer (e.g. Aug in Western Australia), though recorded Jan–May in NW Queensland and Aug–Sept, Jan and Jun in Northern Territory; breeding stimulated by rainfall, but species capable of breeding under all but the most severe drought conditions. Reported to pair for life and to be territorial in captivity, from where most data available. Nest is a scrape sheltered under a spinifex clump, bush or rock, either lined or unlined, c. 13 cm in diameter and nests can be as little as 100 m apart. Sometimes double-brooded. Lays two pale cream, creamy white or white eggs  , size 22·9–29·7 mm × 18·8–22·1 mm; incubation 16–18 days, by both sexes in captivity; on hatching, chicks weigh 4·5–4·8 g and are covered with long, sand-coloured down; chicks leave the nest at only 7–9 days, following their parents. In captivity, growth of body parts continues until 32 days, with weight increasing until 70 days, and young may remain with adults for 4–6 weeks post-fledging. No information on breeding success.

Spinifex Pigeon (Rufous-bellied)

Spinifex Pigeon (White-bellied)

Not globally threatened. Still common to abundant throughout much of its remote and arid range. Habitat destruction is a less serious concern than for many Australian pigeons and doves, due to the rigours of the bleak habitat occupied by this species. However, grazing by sheep may have negatively affected populations in some areas. In South Australia, few recent records and all of them in N, where numbers have declined and range contracted, and has apparently disappeared locally after grazing sheep began. Unknown number unsuccessfully introduced on Maui and Lanai, Hawaii, in 1922.