This Australian pigeon has bold black-and-white facial and throat markings. It picks up seeds among sparse grass and may run rather than fly when disturbed.
It is grey-brown, with bold black-and-white stripes on the face and throat. The breast and belly become greyer towards the centre; skin around the eye is blue-grey in the southern subspecies and orange-red in the northern one.
It feeds on the ground, picking up seeds among sparse grass. It is usually seen in pairs or small groups of fewer than ten; when disturbed it often runs with sharp turns rather than taking flight, and roosts in low trees at night.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.