Inca Dove
Columbina inca
Essentially a ground dove with a long tail. Pale sandy color with scaly pattern covering entire body, unlike Common Ground Dove. Look for obvious white outer tail feathers and rufous wings in flight. Fairly common from the southwestern U.S. to far western Panama. Found in pairs or small groups in neighborhoods, parks, and scrubby desert habitats. Listen for repeated soft whistled song, sounding like “no hope.” Whirring wingbeats sound almost like a rattlesnake when it takes off.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Columbina inca
- Authority
- (Lesson, RP, 1847)
- Order
- Columbiformes
- Family
- Columbidae
- Genus
- Columbina
Range and habitat
The Inca dove ranges from Costa Rica in the south to the American Southwest in the north and is often common to abundant in suitable habitat. Its range has been expanding northward and southward the past few decades. Despite being named after the Inca Empire, this species does not occur in any of the lands that once constituted that empire. Inca doves are expanding their range in the north and south. This terrestrial species forms flocks in deserts, scrublands and cultivated areas and may also be found in urban settings where they feed upon grass seeds and take advantage of the ready availability of water from agricultural and suburban irrigation.<p>The Inca dove has escaped or been deliberately released in the US state of Florida, but there is no evidence that the population is breeding and may only persist due to continuing releases or escapes.[1]
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
During winter, Inca doves roost in communal huddles, in a pyramid formation that aids in body-heat retention. These pyramids can contain 10 or more birds. They often flock outside of their territories, with flocks growing up to 100 birds-strong.
Conservation
- Population trend
- rising
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Fine-barred Piculet
Picumnus subtilis
Small, pale piculet. Light tan below, olive-brown above, with a black-and-white speckled crown; males have a red crown patch. Found in secondary forest, usually where there is dense understory, often bamboo, with emergent trees. Listen for its distinctive song, a descending series of 5-8 very high pitched notes (more notes than any other piculet in its range).
Green Oriole
Oriolus flavocinctus
Medium-sized songbird with a long red bill and red eye. Olive-green above, with greenish breast blending into yellow belly. Juvenile and immature also yellowish on the belly, unlike Olive-backed Oriole or Australasian Figbird. Forages in forested areas, gardens, and parks in northern Australia, usually singly or in pairs, singing frequently, a rich, throaty “yok-yok-yoddle.”
Dusky Turtle-Dove
Streptopelia lugens
Very dark dove with a black mark on the neck. When seen well, shows beautiful rufous edges to the wing feathers. Slightly paler gray corners to the tail are evident in flight. Found at middle and high elevations in a wide variety of habitats, including forest edge, woodland, gardens, and cultivation. The call is a quiet series of descending growl notes. Somewhat like Red-eyed Dove, but smaller and much darker overall, without a contrastingly paler head.
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