Partridge
Pigeons are another endemic Top End species I had been hoping to find and
photograph. However while they are
regarded as being common in some places they eluded me until a 4km woodland
walk near Cooinda in Kakadu National Park. Partridge Pigeons feed and nest on
the ground but when flushed they often fly up to a perch in a nearby tree and
sit there watching the intruder. This was the case for the pair I flushed at
the start of the 4km woodland walk - the only Partridge Pigeons I saw on this
trip to the Top End.
Adult Partridge Pigeon (race smithii) with distinctive red facial skin, white eye and robust bill. |
There are
two races of Partridge Pigeon. Geophaps
smithii smithii is endemic to the
Northern Territory and adjacent offshore islands while Geophaps smithii blaauwi is endemic to the Kimberly in Western
Australia. The adults of the smithii
race have red facial skin while blaauwi
have yellow. It is intriguing to ponder what drove the evolution of yellow and
red faces in an otherwise physically identical species that became geographically
isolated in Australia’s Top End?
Both races
are regarded as vulnerable. For a ground
feeding and “dry season” nesting Top End bird this is not surprising given the changed
fire regimes across the savannah woodlands and the introduction of cattle and
cats. Also the current large scale dry season so called planned or management
burns, which occur during the Partridge Pigeon breeding season, are from what I
saw, far too large and hot. Many other native animal species are also adversely
impacted.
After the
pair flushed, the first bird I found was perched high on a dead branch against
a bright noonday sky. A few changes to camera settings allowed for reasonable
exposure of the bird. The photo is included because it shows the distinctive
head pattern well and the under-tail feathers.
First bird perched high on dead limb against a bright noonday sky. |
It took me
a while to locate the second bird about 50 metres away where better light
allowed for more photos.
The distinctive head pattern, prominent white sides to the breast and small triangular faint pale blue feathers over the crop are visible in this photo. |
The Partridge Pigeon has solid legs! |
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