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  Bar-shouldered Dove ( Geopelia humeralis )



Bar-shouldered Dove | Geopelia humeralis photo
Bar-shouldered Dove

Photograph by Pierre Pouliquin. Some rights reserved.

BAR-SHOULDERED DOVE FACTS

distribution map showing range of Geopelia humeralis in Australia

Description
The Bar-shouldered Dove is a medium to large dove with a long tail. It has a grey head and upper breast, and a reddish copper patch with dark bars on the back of the neck and shoulders. The body is greyish brown above with scaly markings. The underside is white. Immatures are duller and do not have the reddish neck patch.

Other Names
Mangrove Dove, Scrub Dove, Kookawook.

Size
28cm

Environment
woodland, scrubland, urban areas. They are usually found in open areas near water. Sometimes seen in mangroves.

Food
grass seeds, herbaceous plants, sedges, roots.

Breeding
The Bar-shouldered Dove builds a nest in a dense shrub or tree. The nest is a thin platform of twigs and roots built in a fork or on a branch. Two white round eggs are laid.

Range
Bar-shouldered Doves are found in northern and eastern parts of Australia from near Onslow in Western Australia to Bega in New South Wales.



Classification
Class:Aves
Order:Columbiformes
Family:Columbidae
Genus:Geopelia
Species:humeralis
Common Name:Bar-shouldered Dove