Wonga Pigeon

‘Wonga’ is most likely an onomatopoeic name of aboriginal origin. Early settlers found the flesh of the Wonga Pigeon to be pleasantly edible.

The Wonga Pigeon feeds on seeds of native and introduced plants as well as fallen fruit and the occasional insect. It forages exclusively on the ground, often walking long distances along well-defined routes.

They use a special 'cryptic posture' when sitting on the nest, keeping their patterned tail raised high and facing any observers, while peering over the tail to keep an eye on potential threats. This posture is also used when birds are flushed from cover and have flown to a perch. If you flush one, it will nearly always land on a nearby perch with its backside facing you.

Its call is a loud monotonous 'whoop-whoop-whoop…' that can be heard up to 2 km away LINK.

The Wonga Pigeon is a sedentary bird, but will congregate where food is abundant and may have some seasonal movements in the south of its range. In West Gippsland district, the wonga is said to have become rare in the Strzelecki Ranges although anecdotally, numbers appear to be recovering in some locations.

Credit: ala.org

Their greatest threat is from the usual suspects – habitat fragmentation and predation from foxes, dogs and cats.