At first I thought this bird was a Pallid Cuckoo, but I was wrong. It’s a Bar-shouldered Dove. Thank you to Carol Probets for pointing this out in the comments on this post! Funny: In the original version of this post, I wrote, “It looks a bit like a large pigeon, doesn’t it?” 🙂

I didn’t know we had such large doves in Sydney. According to my bird book, Bar-shouldered Doves are common in northern Australia, but “uncommon or vagrant” in the south.

Common name:Bar-shouldered Dove

Scientific name: Geopelia humeralis

Approximate length: 30 cm

Date spotted: 1 September 2018 (early spring)

Location: Manly Dam National Park, New South Wales, Australia: 33°47’03.1″S 151°15’17.3″E