THE BIRDS OF SINGAPORE ISLAND 
The length is about lo inches and the wing 5 J or 6 inches. 
In appearance the bronze-winged dove cannot be confused 
with any other local species. 
Dhtribtition: — This dove is found in India and Ceylon, 
througliout Indo-China, the Malay Peninsula and the islands 
of the Archipelago as far east as the west of New Guinea, In 
Christmas Island (south of Java! a sub-species is found of 
which the plumage in the male is to all intents and purposes 
similar to that of the bird found in Sinj^apore but the female 
diflFers in having a bright chestnut rump and tail ! In the 
Malay Peninsula the punai tanah is a common bird. 
Status in SiugaJ>orc : — This pigeon is not uncommon but 
on accoimt of its shy and retiring habits it is not often seen. 
It is essentially .1 bird that k^eps to cover, rarely by preference 
straying into the open and it is yet further concealed by virtue 
of its terrestrial habits, for unlike the other pigeons of which 
we have written in this book, although we have noticed that 
the little Gcopelia prefers the ground more than its relatives, 
the bronze-winged dove is nonually found on the ground. 
From a study of its habits one would except that it would 
be one of the first birds to retreat before the advance of 
civilization, and no doubt this was so, and now it is only found 
in the more thickly wooded parts of the island. A pair or two 
still linger in the Botanic Gardens, and they are fairly numerous 
in the jungle at Changi and on Bukit Timah, but on the much 
less frequented island of Pulau Ubin in the Joliore Strait the 
species is more abundant, 
FieU Notes : — Sometimes when all is quiet a pair will slip 
out of the undergrowth in the Gardens and feed on the lawns 
but they are up and away at the least alarm, dashing back into 
the jungle with an extremely fast flight. One then catches 
a glimpse of colour on an otherwise dark-looking bird and 
the white spot on the head and the front of the wing in the 
male are usually conspicuous even in flight. One might walk 
along the narrow footpath in the Gardens jungle for many 
scores of times without seeing these cautious little birds 
because they slip away through the vegetation without taking 
flight, but quietly .^trolling through the gardens one can at 
times see them walking about on the grass, usually at the edge 
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