Photo © by Joseph Morlan
Mount Austen, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, 19 September 2019
Alternative names: Spot-breasted Cuckoo-Dove; Rufous Brown Cuckoo-Dove; Rufous Cuckoo-Dove; Black-spotted Cuckoo-Dove; Dimorphic Cuckoo-Dove; Rufous Pheasant-Pigeon; Rufous-brown Pheasant-Dove
- Macropygia mackinlayi
Identification
27-31 cm. A partly Polymorphic Cuckoo-Dove.
Rufous morph male
- Deep reddish brown plumage, dark on upperparts, paler on head and neck
- Tawny tinge on underparts
- Brownish-black outer primaries and secondaries narrowly edged rufous
- Tail with broad black subterminal band
- Spotted appearance on breast
- Yellow, orange to red eye
- Black bill
Grey morph male
- Dark grey upperparts with broad pale grey fringes to feathers
- Pale grey head and underparts
- Sometimes with pale tawny silver forehead, throat and breast
Rufous morph female
- Mostly yellow brown with grey suffusion to neck and breast (giving vermiculated appearance)
Grey morph female
- Similar to grey morph male
- More conspicuous black bases to breast feathers
- Buff tinge to underparts
Only the nominate subspecies is polymorphic. The other subspecies resemble the rufous morph nominate, but are richer in colour. arossi is rich chestnut red with purplish tinge on upperparts.
Distribution
Found on various islands from New Britain east to the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.
Common or locally common in much of its range.
Taxonomy
Two subspecies are recognized[1]:
- M. m. arossi on the Karkar Island (off of northeastern Papua New Guinea); Bismarck Archipelago in the Admiralty Islands (Manus, Rambutyo, Nauna, San Miguel, and Tong), Crown, Long, Tolokiwa, Umboi, Sakar, the Witu Islands, Watom, Mussau, Emirau, the Lihar Islands, and Nissan; and the Solomon Islands (Buka and Bougainville to Rennell and Makira)
- M. m. mackinlayi on Santa Cruz Islands, Banks Group and Vanuatu
Forms a superspecies with Black-billed Cuckoo-Dove and Little Cuckoo-Dove.
Habitat
Found in disturbed areas in primary forest, in second growth, clearings and gardens.
A lowland species, most common at 200 to 800 m but also found higher up (1500 on Bougainville, up to 1000m on Karkar).
Behaviour
Usually seen singly, in pairs or in small groups of up to 6 birds.
Diet
Feeds on small fruits and seeds, takes also vegetable shoots.
Seen feeding below the canopy in small trees, sometimes also on the ground where it takes food put out for domestic animals.
Breeding
Breeding season from September to February in Vanuatu. The nest is a saucer-shaped platform, placed 3 to 6 m above the ground in a tree-fern, a palm or a vine-tangle. Usually lays 1 egg.
Movements
One sight record from mainland New Guinea suggests some movements. Also suspected to be only a vagrant to New Britain.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Baptista, L.F., Trail, P.W., Horblit, H.M. & Garcia, E.F.J. (2019). Mackinlay's Cuckoo-dove (Macropygia mackinlayi). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/54173 on 28 November 2019)
- Dutson, G. (2011) Birds of Melanesia, Christopher Helm, London.
- Gregory, P. (2017) Birds of New Guinea, Including Bismarck Archipelago and Boughainville. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Mackinlay's Cuckoo-Dove. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 25 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Mackinlay%27s_Cuckoo-Dove
