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Brush Bronzewing - BirdForum Opus

Revision as of 11:58, 1 September 2010 by Deliatodd-18346 (talk | contribs) (Photo caption)
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Photo by Pearly Shells
McLaren Vale, South Australia, October 2004
Phaps elegans

Identification

  • Dark olive-brown upperparts
  • Chestnut nape and shoulders
  • Blue-grey underparts
  • 2 curved bronze irridescent blue-green bars across each wing
  • Dark chestnut eyestripe, underlined by white
  • Chestnut throat patch

Male: Chestnut forehead

Female
Photo by Mike Bouette
Eyre Bird Observatory, Western Australia, October 2006

Female: duller, lacks forehead patch

Distribution

Australia: found in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia.

Taxonomy

Subspecies[1]

There are 2 subspecies:

  • P. e. occidentalis:
  • South-western Australia (Dongara to Point Culver)
  • P. e. elegans:

An additional subspecies P. e. neglecta is generally considered invalid[1].

Habitat

Dry forest, woodland and grassy heathlands.

Behaviour

Diet

Ground feeders, their diet consists mostly of seeds.

Breeding

The nest is a slightly cupped platform of twigs and sticks placed in dense brush. The clutch consists of 2 eggs which are incubated by the female for 18 days. The young fledge at 16 days.

References

  1. Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
  2. Avibase
  3. Birds in Backyards

Recommended Citation

External Links

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