Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...

Flock Bronzewing

Phaps histrionica

The flock bronzewing, Phaps histrionica, is a pigeon species endemic to the drier regions of Australia. It is the most nomadic of Australian pigeons, with a distinctive appearance that sets it apart from other species. Adult flock bronzewings are typically 280–305 mm in length, with a wingspan of 189–216 mm, and weigh between 260–320 grams.

Identification Tips

The adult male flock bronzewing boasts a striking black head, save for a white forehead and a patch on the lower throat. A white line extends from behind the eye, encircling the ear coverts to form a broken ring. The upperparts and wings are a reddish sandy brown, with grey primary coverts and alula edged in white. The primaries are grey with chestnut inner webs, and all but the outer three are tipped white. The secondaries are grey, with chestnut inner webs on the inner secondaries. The iris is dark brown, and the bill is black.

The adult female is more subdued, with a sandy-brown crown and forehead. The facial markings are less pronounced than in the male, and the primaries lack the white tips.

Juveniles resemble adult females but have less distinct facial markings, brown-tipped primaries and secondaries, and a horn-coloured bill.

Habitat

The flock bronzewing is uniquely adapted to the arid plains of Australia. It favors open grassland plains and areas with clumped grasses and small shrubs interspersed with open spaces. A significant habitat for this species is the grass plains of the Barkly Tableland.

Distribution

This species is most abundant in the Barkly Tablelands of eastern Northern Territory and Western Queensland. Their range is extensive, occasionally reaching the Kimberly region of Western Australia, northern South Australia, and northwestern New South Wales. They are no longer present in their original habitat on the Liverpool Plains, NSW.

Behaviour

Flock bronzewings are highly nomadic, moving across the landscape in response to food availability. They are known for their large, impressive flocks, which have become less common due to changes in their habitat.

Breeding

Breeding is closely tied to food resources and thus varies by location. In the southern part of their range, breeding typically occurs from spring to early summer, while in the north, it aligns with the early to middle dry season. The nest is a simple ground scrape lined with grass and twigs, often sheltered by grass clumps or shrubs. Two white eggs are laid and incubated for 16 days, with fledglings leaving the nest after one week.

Diet and Feeding

Flock bronzewings primarily feed on seeds from grasses, herbs, and shrubs. They have also adapted to consume undigested seeds found in cattle dung. Notable food sources include seeds from desert spurge, camel bush, yellow daisy, and river grass.

Conservation status

The flock bronzewing is currently classified as Least Concern by the IUCN. However, their populations and range have been impacted by pastoralism, which has reduced the availability of grasses for food and nesting. Predation is also a threat, as their ground-laid eggs are vulnerable to predators.

App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

Flock Bronzewings on Birda

Photos
Sightings

More Pigeons, Doves

A photo of a Nicobar Pigeon (Caloenas nicobarica)

Nicobar Pigeon

Caloenas nicobarica
Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
778
Great bird recording
For a while I’ve been trying to find an app to easily record bird lists and day out and struggled to find one that I like. Birda is great for this, straightforward and a great community!
Amylia S
Best app for any birding person!
I love this app!! I am so addicted to it when I saw it had 3 star review I was so sad! The app is awesome!! The best app for any birding person! ❀️
Talli A
My favourite app
As a young birdwatcher who was always keen to be apart of a community but never seemed to find one, my problem was solved downloading this!!! Everyone is so friendly and just as excited to see birds as me 😁
Abi.M
Awesome App
I really enjoy using this app! It is such a friendly community of bird-lovers who are happy to help if I need ID advice. It’s been great motivation to get outdoors and go birding more! 10/10 😍😍
Alex J
Friendly and helps to identify birds
Great birding app, good for logging your sightings, also has nice species guide. I'm enjoying the social aspect more than I expected, everyone seems friendly and helps to identify unknown birds. Good mix of newbies and experienced users.
Marlster24
Very Wholesome App
Joined this app with a new interest in watching birds to help me find out what I was spotting. The community is very active in helping identify birds which is great and everyone is very kind so it’s just a nice wholesome community. I would definitely recommend this for any bird spotter πŸ˜„
Madstherangers
A mordern game changer
Birda is an awesome app, its updated the world of birding to the modern day with a fun and easy to use app. It’s engaging and allows positive interaction with fellow bird lovers!
Hip An
Fantastic
Really enjoying Birda where I live i have a lot of Red kites really hard to photograph but I can video are you planning some place on the app where us Birda can post vidsπŸ¦‰πŸ¦…
JCBirding
Just what birding needs
We need more fun in birding, for years it has had a reputation for being up tight and stuffy and only perused by retirees and anoraks. Birda helps change that perception and firmly brings birding into the 21st century! Fun, interactive while still contributing to science and conservation. If you aren’t on it, why not??
Leonie
We've been waiting for an App like this
Excellent! We've been waiting for an app like this! Thank you! It would be nice if you could assign additional birds to sessions later!
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright Β© 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.