The brush bronzewing (''Phaps elegans'') is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

in the pigeon family,

Columbidae Columbidae is a bird Family (biology), family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the Order (biology), order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with small heads, relatively short necks and slender bills that in ...

. It is endemic to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, with two biogeographically distinct subspecies.

Taxonomy

The brush bronzewing is one of around 310 species in the family

and can be classified into two distinct subspecies, ''P. elegans elegans'' and ''P. elegans occidentalis''. ''P. elegans'' was first described by C. J. Temminck in 1809.

Description

The brush bronzewing is similar in size and shape to the closely related common bronzewing (''Phaps chalcoptera),'' however it's shorter and stockier in appearance. These birds are relatively small and range in size from 25 to 33 cm.

Sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where sexes of the same species exhibit different Morphology (biology), morphological characteristics, including characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most dioecy, di ...

is apparent in these birds. Both sexes are dark-olive brown on top, rich chestnut in colour along the nape and shoulder with blue-grey underparts. The brush bronzewing is named for the iridescent bars of blue and green across the inner secondary feather of each wing.

Distribution and habitat

The brush bronzewing is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to Australia, found in the South-West and South-East of the mainland with populations in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and also Tasmania. The subspecies ''P. elegans occidentalis'' occurs as a geographically distinct population, in the southwest of WA. This species favours dense coastal heathland, wet or dry sclerophyll forests, woodlands and some mallee areas. Habitats with dense shrub layers and foliage, including native species such as ''

Banksia ''Banksia'' is a genus of around 170 species of flowering plants in the family Proteaceae. These Australian wildflowers and popular garden plants are easily recognised by their characteristic flower spikes, and woody fruiting "cones" and head ...

Acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as wattles or acacias, is a genus of about of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa, South America, and Austral ...

Melaleuca ''Melaleuca'' () is a genus of nearly 300 species of plants in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, commonly known as paperbarks, honey-myrtles, bottlebrushes or tea-trees (although the last name is also applied to species of '' Leptospermum''). They ...

'' or ''

Leptospermum ''Leptospermum'' is a genus of shrubs and small trees in the myrtle family Myrtaceae commonly known as tea trees, although this name is sometimes also used for some species of ''Melaleuca''. Most species are endemic to Australia, with the greate ...

,'' allow these cautious birds to find cover.

Behaviour

Feeding

This bird feeds on seeds, berries and small insects; foraging primarily on the ground Like most granivores, the brush bronzewing will swallow small pieces of grit and pebble to aid the grinding of seeds within the

gizzard The gizzard, also referred to as the ventriculus, gastric mill, and gigerium, is an organ found in the digestive tract of some animals, including archosaurs (birds and other dinosaurs, crocodiles, alligators, pterosaurs), earthworms, some gast ...

. Local movements are likely a response to food and habitat availability. Unlike the common bronzewing, feeding doesn't occur in small flocks, usually with birds foraging singly or in pairs. Also similarly to that species, the brush bronzewing drinks at dawn or dusk, approaching watering holes cautiously after landing a short distance away.

Breeding

The Brush Bronzewing exhibits a breeding display similar to the common bronzewing, including a courtship display of bowing and a vocal advertisement of a low repeated 'hoop' or 'whoo' call. Breeding occurs mainly between September - January, however incubation of eggs and hatchlings has been observed all year round. Young are semi-

altricial Precocial species in birds and mammals are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. They are normally nidifugous, meaning that they leave the nest shortly after birth or hatching. Altricial ...

and nidicolous, requiring warmth, nourishment and a high level of parental care. The clutch usually consists of two eggs, which will be incubated for roughly 17 days and fledge after 16–20 days. Adult pairs will resume breeding 3–4 weeks after fledglings become independent. Due to the shy and cautious nature of these birds, they will flush from their nests abruptly when they perceive a potential threat. This may be the cause of their low nesting success (~10%), with one study finding that seven young hatched from 29 eggs across 15 nests, of which only three survived to fledge.

Migration

Birds tend to reside within their local habitats, with no long distance banding recoveries being and no large scale migrations apparent. In a study from 1967, one bird was recovered just 25 km from the initial banding site. These birds are rarely seen in flocking formation, preferring to move singly, in pairs or small family groups; the largest recorded gathering was a group of eight birds.

Threats and conservation

The brush bronzewing is listed as a species of

Least Concern A least-concern species is a species that has been evaluated and categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as not being a focus of wildlife conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wil ...

on the

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological ...

and considered by

BirdLife Australia BirdLife Australia is a not-for-profit organisation advocating for native birds and the conservation of their habitats across Australia. BirdLife Australia is the trading name of the company limited by guarantee formed through the merger of tw ...

to have secure populations in all states it occurs in. Like many other ground-dwelling bird species, the bronze brushwing is threatened by introduced predators such as cats and foxes. Like several other species, it appears to have increased toxicity to non-native mammalian predators due to feeding on ''

Gastrolobium ''Gastrolobium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. There are over 100 species in this genus, and all but two are native to the south west region of Western Australia. A significant number of the species accumulate monofluo ...

'' plants, which may contribute to the maintenance of biodiversity in south-west Western Australia.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q913892 bush bronzewing Birds of South Australia Birds of Western Australia Birds of New South Wales Birds of Victoria (state) Birds of Tasmania bush bronzewing Taxonomy articles created by Polbot