Little Cuckoo Dove
Macropygia ruficeps

AKA: Lesser Red Cuckoo Dove, Red-headed Cuckoo Dove, Red-faced Cuckoo Dove

Bird photographed on the wild

Distribution: Found in the forests; widespread but with a rather scattered distributions from south & east Burma, northwest & northern Thailand, northern Laos, Vietnam, China, south to Peninsular Malaysia & the islands of Borneo, Sumatra, Simeulue, Java, Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, Moyo, Komodo, Flores, Sumba, Pantar & Timor. Can sometimes be seen in the lowland areas feeding.

Races: eight races recognized, varying in the amounts of cream & black markings on the underparts.
 M. r. ruficeps (Temminck 1834); Java & Bali
M. r. assimilis (Hume 1874); south & east Burma, northwest & northern Thailand
M. r. malayana (Chasen & Kloss 1931); Peninsular Malaysia
M. r. engelbachi (Delacour 1928); northern Laos, Tonkin in Vietnam, & south to Yunnan in China
M. r. nana (Stresemann 1913); Borneo & some offshore islands
M. r. sumatrana (Robinson & Kloss 1919); Sumatra
M. r. simalurensis (Ricjmond 1902) Simeulue Island
M. r. orientalis (Hartert 1896); Lesser Sundas

Description: (Nominate) Length 29 cm. Head & nape cinnamon; neck & upper mantle vaguely glossed green & lilac, some feather shaving dark subterminal bars. Mantle to rump dark brown, very obscurely barred on the mantle. Wing shields blackish brown with broad chestnut fringes. Flight feathers blackish brown. central tail feathers dark brown with bold dark black subterminal band. Throat pale yellow buff, rest of underparts cinnamon shading into chestnut on the undertail coverts, flanks & wing lining. breast tinged vinous & many feathers of the breast & upper belly with broad creamy buff tips giving a mottled appearance. iris greyish white to bluish white. Eye cere dark grey; bill brown at base blackish tip; legs & feet coral red. Female: differs from male in the dark chestnut crown is spotted with black mostly on the forehead. Neck yellow buff barred black & lacking iridescence. Wing coverts more broadly fringed chestnut. Ear coverts yellow buff speckled black. Throat pale buff with feathers around it edged blackish. Upper breast feathers pale basally, blackish laterally & subterminally & variably tipped chestnut which gives a mottled appearance. Belly more yellow rufous vaguely barred. Bill blacker than in male; feet & legs duller purplish red. Juvenile: similar to females but having a more barred & mottled appearance.

Nesting: single buff, cream or white egg laid; incubation 12-17 days; fledgling another couple of weeks.

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