White-quilled Rock Pigeon
A species of Rock Pigeons Scientific name : Petrophassa albipennis Genus : Rock Pigeons
White-quilled Rock Pigeon, A species of Rock Pigeons
Botanical name: Petrophassa albipennis
Genus: Rock Pigeons
Content
Description General Info
Description
The white-quilled rock pigeon is a large mid-brown to reddish-brown pigeon. It has wings measuring 122 to 145 mm and a bill 11.0 to 14.5 mm in length. Subspecies albipennis weighs 117 to 156 grams while the smaller subspecies boothi weighs between 103 to 142 grams. It has white spots on its chin and forehead. The orbital skin is grey. Although their common name derives from the white wing panels visible in flight, its facial markings are also distinctive. There are thin, pale lines "across the face, from the base of upper mandible curving above and behind eye, and from lower mandible below eye and curving across sides of head." Subspecies albipennis, found mostly in WA, has large white patches on its wings while subspecies boothi, found in the NT, has smaller patches. 
Size
30 cm
Nest Placement
Ground
Feeding Habits
White-quilled Rock Pigeon primarily consumes a granivorous diet, feeding on seeds from diverse plants like Acacia and Desmodium. They forage on the ground, mainly influenced by seed availability.
Habitat
The habitat of white-quilled Rock Pigeon encompasses rocky sandstone and limestone plateaux along with associated gullies and escarpments, typically situated amidst arid open woodlands and spinifex grasslands. These birds are commonly found perched on bare rocks, usually within close proximity to permanent water sources.
Dite type
Granivorous
General Info
Feeding Habits
Bird food type
Behavior
The IUCN Red List identifies the pigeon's conservation status as Least Concern (LC) but its Northern Territory Conservation Status is listed as Near Threatened (NT). The pigeon's habitat is rocky escarpments and gorges where they move easily among the rocks and boulders. They share a distinctive jizz with the chestnut-quilled rock pigeon, often appearing on a prominent rock or ledge with their body held horizontally, their tail held clear of the ground and their wings drooping below their tail. The white-quilled rock pigeon's defining characteristics were first recorded when the type specimens were collected by officers of HMS Beagle and detailed in an account of his Australian voyages of the Beagle by her commander, John Lort Stokes: They fly with a characteristic loud clattering of wings, often gliding from one high prominence to another. They feed in adjacent grassy woodlands but return to their escarpments when startled.
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Pigeons and doves Family
Dove Genus
Rock Pigeons Species
White-quilled Rock Pigeon 
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