Columbiformes / Columbidae / Macropygia
Little Cuckoo-Dove
Macropygia ruficeps · 小鹃鸠
Introduction
A species of bird in the family Columbidae, found in Brunei, China, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. It inhabits evergreen hill forests, forest peripheries, drier forests, second-growth forests, and cultivated areas. Listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Description
Measures 27 to 30 cm (11 to 12 in) in length and weighs 74 to 88 g (2.6 to 3.1 oz). It has cinnamon buff plumage, greyish white irides, a brown beak with a black tip, and coral red feet. The tail is long.
Identification
The long tail differentiates it from other sympatric pigeons.
Distribution & Habitat
Found in Brunei, China, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. Inhabits evergreen hill forests and forest peripheries in the north; drier forests, second-growth forests, and cultivated areas in the south. Commonly found in submontane habitats at elevations of 300 to 2,000 m (980 to 6,560 ft), recorded up to at least 3,000 m (9,800 ft) on Mount Kinabalu, and sometimes at sea level.
Behavior & Ecology
Travels in loose flocks.
Conservation
Listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 1998. It has a large range exceeding 20,000 km² (7,700 mi²) and a stable population trend. Population numbers are undetermined but thought to be above 10,000. It is common in the southern part of its range and uncommon in the northern part, with no major threats identified.
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Taxonomy
- Order
- Columbiformes
- Family
- Columbidae
- Genus
- Macropygia
Vocalizations
Subspecies (8)
-
Macropygia ruficeps assimilis
southern Myanmar, northwestern Thailand, and far southwestern China (Yunnan)
Data Sources
Species description from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Bird images and sounds sourced from GBIF, contributed by citizen scientists worldwide under Creative Commons licenses.
Taxonomy data from AviList 2025.
