The brown cuckoo-dove is a large brown pigeon of rainforests, with a very long, tapering tail. There is a pale streak below the blue-grey eye and a red eye-ring. The female has a brighter chestnut cap and a scaly pattern on the breast. The legs and feet are red. Their flight is strong and graceful, usually low among the trees. This species is also known as the brown, pheasant or large-tailed pigeon.