Phaps elegans
Silhouette: Michael Scroggie · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The brush bronzewing (Phaps elegans) is a species of bird in the pigeon family, Columbidae. It is endemic to Australia, with two biogeographically distinct subspecies. The brush bronzewing is one of around 310 species in the family Columbidae 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.
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 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.
The brush bronzewing is endemic 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... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flinders Chase | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Freycinet National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Maria Island National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Wilsons Promontory National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taronga Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Perth Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Brush Bronzewing sighting in Blue Mountains National Park on a given day, based on 30 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 154th most-seen of the 196 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Brush Bronzewing in Blue Mountains National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Brush Bronzewing sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
9th of 9
Of the 9 parks where we can rate Brush Bronzewing sightings, Blue Mountains National Park ranks 9th at under 5%. The best odds are in Flinders Chase (Australia, about 20%), Freycinet National Park (Australia, about 10%) and Maria Island National Park (Australia, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Brush Bronzewing is recorded against all the birds logged in Blue Mountains National Park (30 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
