West Peruvian Dove
Zenaida meloda
Common and conspicuous dove of desert lowlands and foothills. Found in wide range of open and semiopen habitats from town streets and gardens to farmland and palm oases; range expanding rapidly south. Feeds on ground and in trees, sometime with smaller and plainer Eared Dove. Bold white wing band and broad white tail corners are distinctive; also note the violet-blue eyering. Mournful cooing song commonly heard all day long year-round.
Identification
The West Peruvian dove has prominent white bands on its wings and wide tails corners, also white. Its eyes have violet-blue rings.
Taxonomy
Genus: Zenaida; Family: Columbidae; Order: Columbiformes.
- Scientific name
- Zenaida meloda
- Authority
- (Tschudi, 1843)
- Order
- Columbiformes
- Family
- Columbidae
- Genus
- Zenaida
Range and habitat
Z. meloda can be found in desert lowlands and foothills in many open and semi-open habitats. These include streets, gardens, farms, and palm oases.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: rising.
- Population trend
- rising
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Elegant, long-tailed bird with a gray back, pale underparts, and a black chest band. White outer tail is conspicuous in flight. Found along streams, mainly within montane forest. Feeds by walking along the ground, bobbing its tail constantly. Call is a buzzy “tseeet”. Song is a complex and beautiful jumble of high notes and trills. Similar to Cape Wagtail but has gray rather than brown upperparts and has more white in the wings and tail. Also similar to Gray Wagtail but lacks yellow on the underparts.
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