Brush Bronzewing

Phaps elegans (Temminck, 1809)

Brush Bronzewing, Phaps elegans, is a pigeon in southern Australia, where it breeds in the mainland south and also occurs in Tasmania. It is a short, stocky bird with two recognised subspecies, and it was first described by Temminck in 1809. Its upperparts are dark olive-brown, with chestnut on the nape and shoulder and blue-grey below. The wing shows iridescent blue and green bars on the inner secondary feathers. It lives in dense coastal heath, sclerophyll forest, woodland and some mallee, especially where thick shrub cover is present.

Order

Columbiformes

Family

Columbidae — Pigeons, Doves

Breeding range

Australasia: s Australia