Little cuckoo-dove facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Little cuckoo-dove |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Columbiformes |
| Family: | Columbidae |
| Genus: | Macropygia |
| Species: |
M. ruficeps
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| Binomial name | |
| Macropygia ruficeps (Temminck, 1835)
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The little cuckoo-dove (Macropygia ruficeps) is a type of bird that belongs to the Columbidae family, which includes pigeons and doves. This bird is a reddish-brown pigeon. You can find it in several countries across Asia, including Brunei, China, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. Experts have listed the little cuckoo-dove as a species of least concern on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Endangered Species. This means it is not currently at risk of disappearing.
What Does the Little Cuckoo-Dove Look Like?
The little cuckoo-dove is a reddish-brown pigeon. It measures about 27 to 30 cm (11 to 12 in) long. That's roughly the length of a ruler! It weighs between 74 to 88 g (2.6 to 3.1 oz), which is about the weight of a small apple.
Its plumage (feathers) are a warm cinnamon-buff color. The bird has greyish-white irises, which are the colored parts of its eyes. Its beak is brown with a black tip. The feet of the little cuckoo-dove are a bright coral red.
One special feature is its long tail. This long tail helps tell the little cuckoo-dove apart from other pigeons that live in the same areas. Little cuckoo-doves often travel together in small, loose groups.
Where Do Little Cuckoo-Doves Live?
The little cuckoo-dove lives in different types of forests. In the northern parts of its home range, it prefers evergreen hill forests and the edges of forests. Further south, it can be found in drier forests. It also lives in areas where forests are regrowing after being cut down, called second-growth forests. You might even spot them in areas where people grow crops.
These birds are commonly found in submontane habitats. These are areas on the lower slopes of mountains. They usually live at heights between 300 to 2,000 m (980 to 6,560 ft) above sea level. Sometimes, they are seen even higher, like at 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) on Mount Kinabalu. They can also sometimes be found at sea level.
How Are Little Cuckoo-Doves Protected?
Since 1998, the little cuckoo-dove has been listed as a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. This is good news!
There are a few reasons for this rating:
- Wide Range: The bird lives across a very large area, more than 20,000 km2 (7,700 sq mi). This means it's spread out and not limited to just one small place.
- Stable Population: The number of little cuckoo-doves seems to be staying steady. It is not decreasing quickly.
- Good Numbers: Even though we don't have an exact count, experts believe there are more than 10,000 of these birds. This number is well above the level that would make a species "vulnerable" or at risk.
The little cuckoo-dove is quite common in the southern parts of its range. However, it is less common in the northern areas. Scientists believe there are no major threats to this bird's survival right now.
 | Audre Lorde |
 | John Berry Meachum |
 | Ferdinand Lee Barnett |
