Common Bronzewing

The Common Bronzewing, Phaps chalcoptera, has a very wide distribution through all states of Australia. Mostly it avoids deep rainforest and perhaps treeless plains.

In West Gippsland, the Common Bronzewing can be locally common in a few places and some have even become quite urbanized. Overall though, it is estimated their numbers are declining – what’s new?

Seeds of native trees, especially acacias, shrubs, and some agricultural crops, form a large part of their diet. The bird collects the seed almost exclusively from the ground and consequently, Common Bronzewings tend to walk from place to place as much as fly. If you do flush one from the ground, it often does the typical pigeon thing and flies to a nearby branch and sits with its back toward you.

Common Bronzewings have green-bronze scalloping on the wings which is quite striking when it catches the light at the right angle: ‘chalco’ = bronze or copper, ‘ptera’ = wing.

They have a deep ‘oom’ call repeated at intervals. Common Bronzewings have been known to nest almost year-round, but most often, breeding occurs in late spring to early summer.