Brush Bronzewing
Phaps elegans

AKA: Brown Bronzewing Pigeon, Little Bronze Pigeon

©Crimson Lam

Distribution: Found in the dense, wet coastal scrub habitats & heathlands (places with abundant cover of bushy growth & stunted trees) of south-west & south-east Australia and Tasmania.

Two races recognized:P. e. elegans (Temminck 1810); P. e. occidentalis (Schodde 1989)

Description: Length 25-33 cm. A dimorphic species; male has reddish buff to deep gold brown; the nape & crown dark bluish grey, cheeks bluish grey tinged with buff. Dark maroon stripe from gape thru eye becoming broader to hindneck which encompasses the grey nape. There is a white stripe below this "eye" stripe. Throat patch dark chestnut. Hindneck and upperpart of neck dark chestnut. Upperparts olive brown. Has two iridescent bands of coppery red, bronze to golden green on upper coverts & on lower coverts mainly purple or blue. Female is duller with the chestnut markings slightly indicated. Forehead paler, eye stripe is red-brown. The grey on the underparts suffused with brown. Juveniles have buff or rufous fringed feathers; juvenile male similar to adult male but darker & duller with dark crown, grey face & slight traces of rufous on throat. No wing patches, underparts lack the bluish tones. Juvenile female also similar to the juvenile male but much duller, with olive tones rather than the rufous tones.

Nesting: Clutch is 2 white eggs; incubation 16 days; fledging at 16 to 20 days. 

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