Plain breasted Ground Dove (Columbina minuta)

[order] Columbiformes | [family] Columbidae | [latin] Columbina minuta | [UK] Plain-breasted Ground-Dove | [FR] Colombe pygmee | [DE] Zwergtaubchen | [ES] Columbina Menuda | [IT] Tortora minuta | [NL] Dwergduif

Subspecies

Physical charateristics

The forehead is pale pinkish-grey. The top of the head, nape, back of the neck and upper mantle are grey or pinkish-grey. The mantle, scapulars, tertials, inner secondaries, inner greater and median wing-coverts, back, rump, uppertail-coverts and inner two pair of remiages are greyish-brown. The outer rectrices are blackish-brown with broad white tips. The outer secondaries and primaries are red-brown with brown tips. The primary wing-coverts are red-brown with blackish-brown tips and edges to the outwebs. The tertials, inner two median and inner two greater wing-coverts have metallic blackish-purple subterminal line on the outerwebs. The remaining wing-coverts are pale greyish-brown with innermost lesser wing-coverts with purplish-black spots. The chin and throat are whitish. The face, sides of the neck and the breast are pale pinkish-grey becoming more greyish on the belly, flanks and undertail-coverts. The undertail is blackish-brown with greyish-white tips. The underwing-coverts and axillaries are reddish-brown. The underside of flight feathers is reddish-brown with brown tips. The iris is variable, yellow-brow or orange. The orbital skin is blue-grey. The bill is black. The legs and feet are bright coral-red. Females and juveniles are duller in coloration

Listen to the sound of Plain-breasted Ground-Dove

[audio:http://www.aviflevoland.nl/sounddb/P/Plain-breasted Ground-Dove.mp3]

Copyright remark: Most sounds derived from xeno-canto

Range

This small dove is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Paraguay, Suriname, El Salvador, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela. Very local but not uncommon in Suriname near urban areas but also in the interior.

Habitat

Drier, open habitats such as thinly vegetated arid scrub, lightacacia woodland with open canopy and understorey, savanna and scrubland

Reproduction

Nest is built on ground or in a tree up to 9 meter height. Probably a year-round breeder, laying 2 eggs incubated for about 2 weeks. Young fledge after about 2 weeks (in captivity).

Feeding habits

Little information, seedeaters who forage mostly single or in pairs.

Conservation

This species has a large range, with an estimated global extent of occurrence of 7,100,000 km2. The global population size has not been quantified, but it is believed to be large as the species is described as ‘common’ in at least parts of its range (del Hoyo et al. 1997). Global population trends have not been quantified, but the species is not believed to approach the thresholds for the population decline criterion of the IUCN Red List (i.e., declining more than 30% in ten years or three generations). For these reasons, the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

Migration

Resident throughout range.

Distribution map

Literature

Title THE PLAIN-BREASTED GROUND DOVEIN SURINAM

Author(s): F. HAVERSCHMIDT

Abstract: The Plain-breasted Ground Dove (Columbina minuta m..[more]..

Source: The Condor, 77(3)