Spinifex Pigeon
Encyclopedia
The Spinifex Pigeon, Geophaps plumifera, is a bird found in Australia
.
There are only two Australian pigeon
species that possess an erect crest: the Spinifex Pigeon and the Crested Pigeon
. The Spinifex Pigeon is the smaller of the two, measuring from 20 to 24 centimetres (8 to 9.6 inches). There are two races; the White-bellied Spinifex Pigeon, Geophaps plumifera plumifera, which is permanently found in the arid
areas of north western, northern, eastern and central Australia, and the Red-bellied Spinifex Pigeon, Geophaps plumifera ferruginea, which is permanently found in the Pilbara, Western Australia
.
Otherwise, both races have plumage
that is rusty coloured and blends into the red soils of the arid areas. They also have a bright red facial patch around the eye
with a ring of black and grey facial patches. The pigeons have black striations on their wing
s. The sexes are difficult to distinguish.
Generally they live in stony areas with low woodland
s and spinifex
grasses. They are nomadic and terrestrial. The pigeons are seed
eaters and are dependent on waterholes recharged by wet season
monsoon
al rains and showers. As the dry season
progresses, they concentrate around the ever-decreasing water
sources. They are often found in pairs or groups.
Their flight
is low and fast, often flipping and gliding in the flight. Their call is a high-pitched coo or a deep coo-r-r-r.
The species breeds in spring and summer or after rain
. Two white egg
s are laid in the shelter of a spinifex bush.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
There are only two Australian pigeon
Dove
Pigeons and doves constitute the bird family Columbidae within the order Columbiformes, which include some 300 species of near passerines. In general terms "dove" and "pigeon" are used somewhat interchangeably...
species that possess an erect crest: the Spinifex Pigeon and the Crested Pigeon
Crested Pigeon
The Crested Pigeon is a bird found widely throughout mainland Australia except for far tropical north areas. It is the only member of the genus Ocyphaps.There are only two Australian pigeon species that possess an erect crest, being the Crested Pigeon and the Spinifex Pigeon...
. The Spinifex Pigeon is the smaller of the two, measuring from 20 to 24 centimetres (8 to 9.6 inches). There are two races; the White-bellied Spinifex Pigeon, Geophaps plumifera plumifera, which is permanently found in the arid
Arid
A region is said to be arid when it is characterized by a severe lack of available water, to the extent of hindering or even preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life...
areas of north western, northern, eastern and central Australia, and the Red-bellied Spinifex Pigeon, Geophaps plumifera ferruginea, which is permanently found in the Pilbara, Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
.
Otherwise, both races have plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
that is rusty coloured and blends into the red soils of the arid areas. They also have a bright red facial patch around the eye
Eye
Eyes are organs that detect light and convert it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons. The simplest photoreceptors in conscious vision connect light to movement...
with a ring of black and grey facial patches. The pigeons have black striations on their wing
Wing
A wing is an appendage with a surface that produces lift for flight or propulsion through the atmosphere, or through another gaseous or liquid fluid...
s. The sexes are difficult to distinguish.
Generally they live in stony areas with low woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
s and spinifex
Triodia (plant genus)
Triodia is a large genus of hummock-forming grass endemic to Australia; they are commonly known as spinifex, although they are not a part of the coastal genus Spinifex. There are currently 64 recognised species...
grasses. They are nomadic and terrestrial. The pigeons are seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
eaters and are dependent on waterholes recharged by wet season
Wet season
The the wet season, or rainy season, is the time of year, covering one or more months, when most of the average annual rainfall in a region occurs. The term green season is also sometimes used as a euphemism by tourist authorities. Areas with wet seasons are dispersed across portions of the...
monsoon
Monsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
al rains and showers. As the dry season
Dry season
The dry season is a term commonly used when describing the weather in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which oscillates from the northern to the southern tropics over the course of the year...
progresses, they concentrate around the ever-decreasing water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
sources. They are often found in pairs or groups.
Their flight
Flight
Flight is the process by which an object moves either through an atmosphere or beyond it by generating lift or propulsive thrust, or aerostatically using buoyancy, or by simple ballistic movement....
is low and fast, often flipping and gliding in the flight. Their call is a high-pitched coo or a deep coo-r-r-r.
The species breeds in spring and summer or after rain
Rain
Rain is liquid precipitation, as opposed to non-liquid kinds of precipitation such as snow, hail and sleet. Rain requires the presence of a thick layer of the atmosphere to have temperatures above the melting point of water near and above the Earth's surface...
. Two white egg
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
s are laid in the shelter of a spinifex bush.