This ground-dwelling pigeon is recognized by facial skin and a white stripe along the body. In northern Australia the facial skin is red in one region and yellow in another; it feeds on seeds on the ground.
A white stripe runs along the side of the body and in front of the folded wing. Bare facial skin is red in the Northern Territory and yellow in the Kimberley.
It forages on the ground for seeds, mostly from grasses but also from acacias and other woody plants. It flies infrequently and is largely sedentary, though it may move several kilometers when water or food changes seasonally.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.