Geopelia humeralis
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Bar-shouldered Dove sighting in Royal National Park on a given day, based on 20 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 143rd most-seen of the 178 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Bar-shouldered Dove in Royal National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February to December, the lowest months.
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.
10th of 10
Of the 10 parks where we can rate Bar-shouldered Dove sightings, Royal National Park ranks 10th at under 5%. The best odds are in Nitmiluk National Park (Australia, about 70%), Kakadu National Park (Australia, about 70%) and Litchfield National Park (Australia, about 60%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Columbidae
The closest relatives of the Bar-shouldered Dove that you can see in Royal National Park (family Columbidae, Pigeons and Doves) are Topknot Pigeon (about 20%), Wonga Pigeon (about 10%) and Crested Pigeon (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 Royal National Park (20 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.
