Sapphire Quail-Dove
Geotrygon saphirina
Stunning dove found in humid rainforest in lowlands and foothills. Notable features include a chestnut back, pale belly, golden neck patches, and a striking head pattern. Might be confused with the duller Violaceous Quail-Dove in dark forest, where color is not easy to discern; note the bold face pattern on Sapphire Quail-Dove. Usually encountered alone, quietly walking along the forest floor. May ascend to a low perch when flushed or when it sings—a soft, stuttered whistle repeated every few seconds.
Identification
The sapphire quail-dove is 22 to 26 cm (8.7 to 10.2 in) long and weighs 139 to 199 g (4.9 to 7.0 oz). The male of the nominate subspecies has a white forehead, throat, and small patch below the eye. It has a conspicuous, long, purple-black malar stripe. Its dark bluish gray crown becomes bronzy green on the nape; below that is an iridescent patch of green, gold, and purplish pink. The back and wing coverts are purple-brown and the rump iridescent greenish or purplish blue. The central tail feathers are slaty black and the outer ones are blackish with blue-gray tips. The closed wing shows an elongated white spot. The breast is pale gray fading to white on the belly and adjoined by buff flanks. Its eyes are pale yellow to dark brown. The adult female has the same plumage pattern but is less brilliant. Juveniles are dark reddish brown above, a duskier gray below, and their facial markings are less intense. G. s. rothschildi is essentially the same as the nominate but for darker eyes.
Taxonomy
At one time the sapphire quail-dove included what is now the purple quail-dove as a subspecies; the larger species was then named Osculatia saphirina. Since the early 2010s the purple quail-dove has been treated as a separate species. The sapphire quail-dove now has two subspecies, the nominate G. s. saphirina and G. s. rothschildi.
- Scientific name
- Geotrygon saphirina
- Authority
- Bonaparte, 1855
- Order
- Columbiformes
- Family
- Columbidae
- Genus
- Geotrygon
Range and habitat
The nominate subspecies of sapphire quail-dove is found across far southern Colombia south through eastern Ecuador to southeastern Peru and east into extreme western Amazonian Brazil. G. s. rothschildi is found only in the area around Cadena in southeastern Peru's Marcapata District. The species inhabits the ground and undergrowth of primary and older secondary evergreen montane forest, often near streams. In Peru it ranges up 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in elevation and up to 1,350 m (4,430 ft) in Ecuador.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The sapphire quail-dove forages on the ground, singly or in pairs. Its diet has not been documented but it probably eats seeds and small invertebrates like other quail-doves.<p>The sapphire quail-dove's breeding season differs across its range, base on the dates that nests with eggs, nestlings, adults in breeding condition, and nesting behavior have been recorded. Nests are platforms made of sticks or twigs and the clutch size appears to be one or two.<p>The sapphire quail-dove's song is "a two-note monotonous 'hu..huuuuu' or 'ca..whooooo'." It sings from a low hidden perch or on the ground at any time of day.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Large Hawk-Cuckoo
Hierococcyx sparverioides
This species’ maddening song can be likened to the phrase “brain-FEVER,” which adequately describes what this bird gives birders trying to see one as it sings high up in the forest canopy. If seen well, note hawk-like appearance, with a long barred tail, brown upperparts, and patterned white underparts. Orangish flush on chest apparent in adults. Favors hill and montane forests when breeding; often found at lower altitudes and in forest edge and scrubby areas when migrating and on wintering grounds.
Tiny Tyrant-Manakin
Tyranneutes virescens
Tiny, short-tailed denizen of tall rainforest; common, but heard far more often than seen. Virtually devoid of good field marks, since male’s yellow crown patch is rarely seen from below. Best located by tracking down singing males on song perches below the canopy, where they sit motionless for long periods, repeating their distinctive song.
Pallas's Bunting
Emberiza pallasi
Very similar to Reed Bunting, but smaller and more slender; also note finer bill, colder pale buffy-brown (instead of rufous) wing coverts, and less extensive streaking on the underparts. Breeding male has a black hood and bright white “moustache” stripe. Female and non-breeding birds are pale sandy brown with a pale but noticeable white “moustache.” Breeds in thickets and vegetation clusters in tundra and winters in reedbeds and tall grassy or brushy areas near water, where often associated with mixed-species flocks. Song is a series of wet buzzy “tsli” notes. “Chlip” calls distinctly sparrow-like.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.