Ruddy Ground Dove
Columbina talpacoti
Small, well-named ruddy dove of humid open and semi-open areas, often in villages and even towns, where sometimes perches on wires. Often in groups, sometimes even a hundred birds, which flush explosively from underfoot. Male is ruddy overall (but much paler in West Mexico); female is plain grayish brown overall, lacking scaly breast of slightly smaller Common Ground Dove. Like other ground doves, both sexes of Ruddy show bright rusty wing patches in flight.
Identification
It measures 12-18 centimeters in length and weighs about 35-56 grams. The male , with reddish brown feathers, dominant color on the adult's body , in contrast to the head, bluish gray. The female is all brown. In both sexes, on the wing there are a series of black spots on the feathers. The chicks come out with traces of the plumage of each sex.<p>Subspecies<p>It has 4 subspecies, only one of which occurs in Brazil:
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Columbina talpacoti
- Authority
- (Temminck, 1810)
- Order
- Columbiformes
- Family
- Columbidae
- Genus
- Columbina
Range and habitat
Adapts to artificial environments created by human action. Lives in open areas; the deforestation facilitated its expansion, especially in the areas formed to pasture or grain farming. They entered the big cities in the southeast and midwest regions of Brazil.<p>Very aggressive with each other, although they can form groups, they compete for food and defend territories using one of the wings to strike hard at the opponent. The males are more bellicose. In disputes or when they sunbathe, lying on their side on the ground and with the wing stretched upwards, they show the large area of black feathers under the wing.<p>Bird watchers in the south-central part of the United States have been observing a “replacement” of this species by another pigeon, the Zenaida auriculata, also known as dove-of-band, or amargosinha eared dove . The latter species has been conquering the urban environment more and more effectively and is apparently competing with the dove, which is already less frequent than the flock pigeon in most cities in the interior of São Paulo.<p>In any case, this friendly and even naive species is far from disappearing from the backyards of our houses and from the squares and gardens of our cities, even if they are in large buildings.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- rising
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Unmistakable large black swan with a red bill. When swimming this species is almost entirely black. Wings show extensive white flight feathers when flying. Juveniles are similar but dark-gray. In Australia, compare with Magpie Goose, which has white belly, and white underwing with black tips. Typically found along inland waterways, rivers, sewage ponds, and coastal lagoons and inlets. Sometimes flocks together in enormous numbers on large wetlands.
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Small, elusive quail of brushy pine-oak woods in drier highlands; favors areas with oak scrub and bunchgrass. Usually in small groups; rarely flushes until almost stepped on. It can be seen beside quiet roads and trails, mainly early and late in day, but it usually remains well hidden in cover. Male has striking harlequin face pattern and rusty underparts with complex patterning. Female has a bushy crest and a trace of the male’s facial pattern. Similar species: female Crested Bobwhite.
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