Geopelia humeralis
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The bar-shouldered dove (Geopelia humeralis) is a species of long tailed dove native to Australia and Southern New Guinea. It is protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974. It is a medium-sized pigeon varying in size from 26–30 cm (10–12 in). Its voice is a distinctive and melodious "cook-a-wook" or "coolicoo".
The dove has a blue-grey breast with chequered brown-bronze wings. The nape is similar to that of the peaceful dove in that the nape feathers are striated but differs in that the bar-shouldered dove does not have striated throat feathers like the peaceful dove. Furthermore, the nape feathers are copper in colour. These doves are also often confused with the introduced and common spotted turtle dove. The eye ring tends to be grey but red-brown when breeding. The juveniles are duller in colour.
Doves are often found in pairs, groups or large loose flocks and are seen commonly feeding on the ground feeding on seeds. Flight is direct and swift and wings whistle while the birds are in flight. Bar-shouldered doves are usually found in thick vegetation where water is present, damp gullies, forests and gorges, mangroves, plantations, swamps... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nitmiluk National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Litchfield National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Noosa National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Booderee National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 10 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Zoo Pilsen | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 3 | Kyabram Fauna Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Cleland Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Perth Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Bird Paradise | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 8 | Rainforest Wild Asia | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 9 | African Dawn Bird and Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 10 | Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 11 | Ipswich Nature Centre | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 12 | Castellar Zoo | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 13 | Fauna Reserve | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 14 | Birdworld Kuranda | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 15 | Kuranda Koala Gardens | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 16 | Ranger Red’s Zoo & Conservation Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Very likely
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Bar-shouldered Dove sighting in Nitmiluk National Park on a given day, based on 332 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 103 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April–May and September–October
In those months about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Bar-shouldered Dove in Nitmiluk National Park on a given day, against about 60% in November, the lowest month. Those are among Nitmiluk National Park's driest months, with about 20 mm of rain a month against 270 mm in January.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Bar-shouldered Dove sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 10 parks where we can rate Bar-shouldered Dove sightings, Nitmiluk National Park has the highest daily chance: about 70%. Next come Kakadu National Park (Australia, about 70%) and Litchfield National Park (Australia, about 60%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Geopelia
The closest relatives of the Bar-shouldered Dove that you can see in Nitmiluk National Park (genus Geopelia, Australasian Doves) are Peaceful Dove (about 60%) and Diamond Dove (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Bar-shouldered Dove is recorded against all the birds logged in Nitmiluk National Park (332 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.
