Philippine Cuckoo-Dove
Macropygia tenuirostris
菲律宾鹃鸠
Introduction
A bird species in the Columbidae family. It is endemic to the Philippines, Taiwan, and Borneo (provisionally). Described by French zoologist Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1854. Formerly classified as a subspecies of the ruddy cuckoo-dove or brown cuckoo-dove. Split from the slender-billed cuckoo-dove in 2016. Four subspecies are recognized. Rated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 1998 due to its large range exceeding 20,000 km² and stable population trend.
Description
A large cuckoo-dove measuring 38.5 cm in length and weighing 157 to 191 g. The adult male has a cinnamon reddish-brown head with an orange-reddish brown forehead and chestnut crown and nape with a pinkish tinge. The upper mantle and hindneck have an amethyst shine with small brown freckles. The irides are red and the beak is brown. The ear coverts and neck-sides are orange-reddish brown. The hindneck and breast-sides are shiny pinkish purple with black spots, and the breast has a light lilac tinge. The outer tail coverts are dark reddish brown with black subterminal bands. The feet are bright red. The adult female has a warm buff hindneck spotted and barred with black, with more reddish-brown coloration on the mantle and wing coverts. The juvenile resembles the female but is more barred.
Distribution & Habitat
Found throughout the Philippines, including Lanyu Island, Batan Island, Calayan Island, Itbayat, and Sabtan Islands, as well as Taiwan. The subspecies M. t. borneensis is found in Borneo and was provisionally moved from the ruddy cuckoo-dove to this species.
Conservation
Rated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 1998. Has a large range exceeding 20,000 km² (7,700 mi²) with a stable population trend. Although population numbers have not been determined, they are thought to exceed 10,000 mature individuals, above the threshold for Vulnerable status. No major threats are identified and the species is considered widespread.
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Taxonomy
- Order
- Columbiformes
- Family
- Columbidae
- Genus
- Macropygia
- eBird Code
- phcdov1
Vocalizations
Subspecies (4)
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Macropygia tenuirostris borneensis
northern Borneo
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Macropygia tenuirostris phaea
Calayan Island (northern Philippines)
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Macropygia tenuirostris septentrionalis
Lan-yü Island (off Taiwan) and Itbayat, Batan, and Sabtang islands (northern Philippines)
-
Macropygia tenuirostris tenuirostris
Philippines
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.