Macropygia phasianella
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The brown cuckoo-dove (Macropygia phasianella) is a dove in the genus Macropygia found in Australia from Weipa and Aurukun in the north to Bega in the south, and most inland at Atherton and Toowoomba. It is sometimes called the "brown pigeon" or "pheasant pigeon", but both terms are best avoided, as they can lead to confusion with the brown doves and the true pheasant pigeon. It was one of three new species defined when the slender-billed cuckoo-dove was split in 2016.
The brown cuckoo-dove was formally described in 1821 by the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck from a specimen collected near Port Jackson in New South Wales, Australia. He coined the binomial name Columba phasianella. The specific name is a diminutive of the Latin phasianus, meaning "pheasant". The brown cuckoo-dove is now placed in the genus Macropygia, which was introduced by the English naturalist William Swainson in 1837.
Three subspecies are recognised: Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Noosa National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Booderee National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Healesville Sanctuary | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Woodland Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Taronga Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Australian Reptile Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Sea Life Sydney Aquarium | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Wild Life Sydney | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Dallas World Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Brown Cuckoo-Dove sighting in Royal National Park on a given day, based on 143 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 93rd most-seen of the 178 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January–February and October–November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Brown Cuckoo-Dove in Royal National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March–September and December, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Brown Cuckoo-Dove sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
5th of 7
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Brown Cuckoo-Dove sightings, Royal National Park ranks 5th at under 5%. The best odds are in Lamington National Park (Australia, about 50%), Springbrook National Park (Australia, about 50%) and Daintree National Park (Australia, about 20%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Columbidae
The closest relatives of the Brown Cuckoo-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 Brown Cuckoo-Dove is recorded against all the birds logged in Royal National Park (143 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.
