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The little cuckoo-dove (''Macropygia ruficeps'') is a
species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...
in the family
Columbidae Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...
. It is a reddish brown pigeon, and is found in Brunei, China, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. It is rated as a species of 
least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...
 on the  International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Endangered Species.


Description

The little cuckoo-dove is a reddish brown pigeon, measuring in length, and weighing . It has cinnamon buff
plumage Plumage ( "feather") is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies and may vary with age classes. Within species, ...
. It has greyish white irides. The
beak The beak, bill, or rostrum is an external anatomical structure found mostly in birds, but also in turtles, non-avian dinosaurs and a few mammals. A beak is used for eating, preening, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food ...
is brown, and has a black tip. The feet are coral red in colour. The tail is long, and it differentiates the little cuckoo-dove from other
sympatric In biology, two related species or populations are considered sympatric when they exist in the same geographic area and thus frequently encounter one another. An initially interbreeding population that splits into two or more distinct species sh ...
(species existing in the same geographic area and thus frequently encountering one another) pigeons.


Distribution and habitat

The little cuckoo-dove is found in evergreen hill forests and forest peripheries, in the north of its range. Southwards, it is found in drier forests and in adjacent areas of second-growth forests. It is also found in cultivated areas. It is commonly found in submontane habitats at elevations of above sea level. It has also been recorded at heights of at least from sea level on Mount Kinabulu, and sometimes at sea level.


Status and conservation

Since 1998, the little cuckoo-dove has been rated as a species of 
least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...
 on the 
IUCN Red List of Endangered Species The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biolog ...
. This is because it has a large range—more than 20,000 km2 (7,700 mi2)—and because it has a stable population trend. Also, although its population numbers have not been determined, they are thought to be above 10,000, which is above the criterion to warrant a  vulnerable rating. It is described to be common in the southern part of its range, and uncommon in the northern part of its range. It is thought to have no major threats.


References


Further reading

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External links

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Oriental Bird Images: ''Little Cuckoo Dove''
Selected images {{Taxonbar, from=Q675948
little cuckoo-dove The little cuckoo-dove (''Macropygia ruficeps'') is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is a reddish brown pigeon, and is found in Brunei, China, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. It is rated as a species of&n ...
Birds of Southeast Asia
little cuckoo-dove The little cuckoo-dove (''Macropygia ruficeps'') is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is a reddish brown pigeon, and is found in Brunei, China, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. It is rated as a species of&n ...
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot