Little Cuckoo-Dove (Macropygia ruficeps)

OTHER NAMES: Lesser Red Cuckoo-Dove, Red-faced Cuckoo Dove

Latin Etymology: Macropygia ("long-rumped") ruficeps ("rufous headed")

Adult Little-Cuckoo Dove (subspecies M. r. malayana) at Genting Highlands, Malaysia - July 2016

Featured Subspecies: Macropygia ruficeps malayana
Weight: ?  /  Length: 30cm  /  Wingspan: ?
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

I must admit for a species I only saw on one day, I was getting a little vexed by this species by the end of it - it was the most abundant bird I saw in the forests of the Genting Highlands but frequently seemed to fly in with other flocks, dislodging other potentially new birds deeper into the foliage while rarely exposing itself well enough for me to get a good photo.  Nonetheless, an attractive species and it's deep rust colouration is very distinctive for a dove - a family which I normally associate with soft pastely colours.

Related Species:
Order: Columbiformes
Family: Columbidae
Genus: Macropygia
SUBSPECIES: M. r. assimilis, M. r. engelbachi, M. r. malayana, M. r. nana, M. r. orientalis, M. r. ruficeps, M. r. simalurensis, M. r. sumatrana

 - Sighting Locations -

MALAYSIA - Malay - Tekukur Api ("Fire Turtledove") 

A locally common resident.

 - MALAYSIA/SINGAPORE 2016 TRIP: Abundant at Genting Highlands

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto