Bar-shouldered dove facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bar-shouldered dove |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Geopelia
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| Species: |
humeralis
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| Australian distribution (data from the Atlas of Living Australia) |
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The bar-shouldered dove (Geopelia humeralis) is a beautiful bird found in Australia and southern New Guinea. It's a type of pigeon that's about 26 to 30 centimeters (10 to 12 inches) long. These doves are known for their special song, which sounds like "cook-a-wook" or "coolicoo." They are protected by law in Australia to help keep them safe.
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What Does the Bar-shouldered Dove Look Like?
This dove has a pretty blue-grey chest. Its wings are covered in brown-bronze feathers that look like a checkerboard pattern. The back of its neck, called the nape, has copper-colored feathers with stripes. This is different from the peaceful dove, which has stripes on its throat too.
Sometimes, people confuse the bar-shouldered dove with the spotted turtle dove. But if you look closely, you'll see the differences! The bar-shouldered dove usually has a grey ring around its eye. When it's ready to breed, this ring turns a reddish-brown color. Young doves are not as brightly colored as the adults.
How Do They Behave?
You can often spot bar-shouldered doves in pairs or small groups. Sometimes, they even gather in large flocks. They love to search for seeds on the ground. When they fly, they move very fast and straight. You might even hear a whistling sound from their wings as they zoom by!
Where Do Bar-shouldered Doves Live?
These doves like places with lots of plants and water. You can find them in damp areas like gullies and forests. They also live in mangroves, plantations, and swamps. They enjoy eucalyptus woodlands and warm tropical or sub-tropical scrub areas near rivers.
They live all along the east coast of Australia. This includes southern New South Wales, stretching north to Cape York Peninsula. You can also find them west to the Pilbara region. They have been seen more often in southern Australia, like in north-western Victoria. They also live in the Torres Strait and other parts of the South Pacific, like Papua New Guinea.
How Do Bar-shouldered Doves Raise Their Young?
The breeding season for these doves changes depending on where they live. In the southern parts of Australia, they breed from September to January. In the north, it's from February to April.
The dove builds a simple nest. It's usually a flat platform made of twigs and grass. They place these nests in trees, shrubs, or mangroves. The female dove lays two eggs. These eggs are white, shiny, and round.
See also
In Spanish: Tortolita humeral para niños
