Common Bronzewing et al

‘Common’ seems almost like an insult for this beautiful bird.

Common Bronzewing – male

Common Bronzewings are stocky little pigeons that can be found in many parts of Australia apart from the driest deserts and dense rain forests. If I could paint this is a bird that would capture my interest. I like the pastel colours, soft yellows, pinks, blue-greys and purple, the fringed feathers of its back and the stunning play of reflective colours in the wing patch. They grow to about 33cm and weigh over 300g.

 
Common Bronzewing

I’ve often wondered about doing a post on ‘headless’ birds as I have so many images of them but this will probably be the only one that makes the pages of lirralirra; I smile every time I look at it. Birds can be great contortionists!

Common Bronzewings are usually seen on the ground where they forage for seeds by themselves, with a partner or in small groups. Despite being common they are relatively shy and may fly away with a loud clutter of wings if disturbed.

Spotted Dove

The Spotted Dove (formerly known as Spotted Turtle-dove) is an introduced species that is common in urban areas. They are about 30cm and 150g and feed on grains, seeds and scraps. They were introduced to Australia in the mid 1800. They are considered a problem bird in some areas, including Alice Springs where about ten birds were released from an aviary during the 1990s. The Northern Territory government supports a trapping program to control numbers of the bird which threatens native species by being “highly adapted and aggressive … for food, shelter and nesting sites”.

Peaceful Dove

Peaceful Doves are found across most of Australia though they are only present in northern parts of WA and not at all in Tasmania. They are small doves measuring about 22cm and weighing only 50g. They generally feed on grass and sedge seeds they find on the ground. They are never far from water as they need to drink twice daily. And on that peaceful note …

Happy birding, Kim

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