Common Ground DoveColumbina passerinaTiny dove with short, square-tipped tail. Male is sandy brown with a pinkish hue, female is slightly duller. Look for scaly pattern on neck and breast, dark spots on wings, and pink bill with dark tip. In flight, look for rufous wings and small white corners on tail. Fairly common from the southern U.S. to southeast Brazil. Inhabits open or shrubby areas with tall grasses or groves of trees, including riparian corridors and open savannas; also in towns. Usually in pairs or small groups on the ground; also perches in low trees and shrubs. Eats seeds, grains, and some insects. Compare with female Ruddy Ground Dove and Plain-breasted Ground Dove, especially because female Common can have reduced scaling. Can occur in mixed flocks with other ground doves.Columbidae bird family
Order Columbiformes · 13 selected species
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Common Ground DoveColumbina passerinaTiny dove with short, square-tipped tail. Male is sandy brown with a pinkish hue, female is slightly duller. Look for scaly pattern on neck and breast, dark spots on wings, and pink bill with dark tip. In flight, look for rufous wings and small white corners on tail. Fairly common from the southern U.S. to southeast Brazil. Inhabits open or shrubby areas with tall grasses or groves of trees, including riparian corridors and open savannas; also in towns. Usually in pairs or small groups on the ground; also perches in low trees and shrubs. Eats seeds, grains, and some insects. Compare with female Ruddy Ground Dove and Plain-breasted Ground Dove, especially because female Common can have reduced scaling. Can occur in mixed flocks with other ground doves.
Eurasian Collared-DoveStreptopelia decaoctoLarge pale dove with a black crescent on the nape. Slightly smaller and paler than Rock Pigeon, with a proportionately longer, square-tipped tail. Favors farms and suburbs; avoids areas with extensive forests. Typically seen in pairs or small loose groups; forms larger flocks in winter. Widespread and common throughout much of Eurasia and northern Africa. Introduced to, and established in, much of North America, the Caribbean, and parts of Central America. Compare with African Collared-Dove, which may occur in small feral populations or as an escapee throughout Eurasian Collared-Dove’s range. Especially note tail pattern from below: mostly white, contrasting with the grayish undertail coverts, and with black extending down the outer edge of the tail feathers. Voice - a cooing “woop-WOOO!-woop” - is also helpful.
Great Cuckoo-DoveReinwardtoena reinwardtiA large, very long-tailed dove with a dark chestnut-brown back, wings, and tail. Head, neck and underside contrastingly pale throughout range, either white (Moluccas and Biak) or pale gray (elsewhere). Juveniles are sooty above, brown below. Typically found singly, but sometimes in pairs or groups in fruiting trees. Inhabits subcanopy of forest and secondary growth from lowlands to mountains, but most abundant in the foothills. Size, shape, and bicolored appearance make it unique. Song comprises incessantly repetitive two-note “woo-wooook” phrases with a shorter first note and an upslurred second one.
Mourning DoveZenaida macrouraSvelte with a long, pointed tail. Plain brown overall with dark spots on wing. Juvenile is covered with pale scaly pattern, but is much larger and longer-tailed than ground doves. Widespread and common throughout much of North America, from southern Canada to Panama, including the Caribbean. Found in a variety of habitats from agricultural fields to lightly wooded areas. Loves suburbs, where it often sits on telephone wires and visits bird feeders. Avoids dense forest, but found on forest edges. Usually seen in pairs or small flocks, sometimes gathering in larger numbers, especially in winter. Listen for distinctive cooing song and whistling wings as it takes off.Mourning DoveZenaida macrouraSvelte with a long, pointed tail. Plain brown overall with dark spots on wing. Juvenile is covered with pale scaly pattern, but is much larger and longer-tailed than ground doves. Widespread and common throughout much of North America, from southern Canada to Panama, including the Caribbean. Found in a variety of habitats from agricultural fields to lightly wooded areas. Loves suburbs, where it often sits on telephone wires and visits bird feeders. Avoids dense forest, but found on forest edges. Usually seen in pairs or small flocks, sometimes gathering in larger numbers, especially in winter. Listen for distinctive cooing song and whistling wings as it takes off.
Nicobar PigeonCaloenas nicobaricaSpectacular ground-dwelling pigeon with long, extravagant plumes trailing down from the neck. Dark green intermixed with gray, blue, and bronzy orange, depending on the light. Tail is snow-white, but only readily visible when the bird is flushed. Generally shy, quiet, and difficult to see. Inhabits small, densely forested offshore islands from the Indian Andamans to the Solomons and New Guinea.
Papuan Mountain-PigeonGymnophaps albertisiiA distinctive large, long-tailed flocking pigeon. Note the conspicuous red skin around the eye, as well as the pale tail tip, cream breast, dark belly, and blue-gray upperparts, head and throat. Juveniles show a rufous forehead and brown chest. Gregarious, often seen in high-flying flocks above the forest canopy. Principally found in the mountains and foothills, but also in lowlands. Flocking behavior, extensive red facial skin, pale tip to tail, and cream color on breast distinguish this species from Metallic Pigeon. Generally quiet, but sometimes utters a deep “woooom” and a tremulous whistle.
Pink-necked Green-PigeonTreron vernansBrightly-colored tree-dwelling pigeon. Adult male has a powder-pink neck, orange breast patch, gray-blue head, and yellow belly. Adult female is much plainer, tea-green above and brighter yellow-green below. Both sexes have striking black-and-yellow wing feathers and yellow spotting on the undertail coverts. Adaptable, and can be found in mangroves, open coastal forests, parks, gardens, and plantation edges. Primarily a lowland species, but can on occasion be found in foothills. Social, often gathering in flocks; occasionally mixes with other green-pigeons. Unlike many other pigeons, not very vocal; occasionally gives strange, alien-sounding coos.
Rock PigeonColumba liviaFairly large pigeon with wild and feral populations throughout the world. True wild birds nest on cliffs and in caves from western Europe to central Asia. Pale gray overall with two bold black wingbars and iridescent purple and green on neck. Feral varieties are common in cities and farmland, often in large flocks. Variable plumage: some identical to wild-type birds, but can be completely black, white, or orangey-brown and any combination in between.
Sao Tome PigeonColumba malherbiiA small-to-medium-sized dark pigeon with slaty wings, a grayish head and breast, an iridescent green-pink sheen on the mantle, a buffy vent, and red feet. Sexes differ in plumage: male has a gray belly and female has a buff-rufous belly. Pairs are fairly common in the canopy and at middle levels of forest, including degraded forest and edge, but rarer at higher altitudes. Calls include a grating “krrrrk-krrrrk” and song is “kruueh-kruuw-koo-koo-ko-ko-kokokoko” with notes speeding up like a bouncing ping-pong ball. The larger Maroon Pigeon has yellow legs and bill and lacks Sao Tome Pigeon’s iridescent green nape; Lemon Dove has a white face and frequents the forest floor.
Spotted DoveSpilopelia chinensisA common garden bird throughout much of Asia, found in open forests, fields, and parks; introduced to several regions around the world. Often tame and approachable. Brown overall with a rosy breast and a unique white-spotted black nape patch. Plumage shows slight regional variation: western birds have dark centers to wing feathers, lacking in eastern birds. Turtle-doves are larger, have black centers to wing feathers and stripes rather than spots on the neck. Coos loudly and often: “coo-a-roooo”.
Sumatran Green-PigeonTreron oxyurusRelatively plain and unmarked green-pigeon with a long pointed tail. Males have a faint orange blush on the chest, though this can be hard to notice. Note blue-green bill and “goggles” in both sexes. Completely unmarked dark olive-green wings separate this species from other green-pigeons within its range; Wedge-tailed Green-Pigeon can be similar, but note that species’ much more thickset build and shorter tail. Endemic to the hill forests of Sumatra and western Java. Like other green-pigeons, gathers in fruiting trees. Gives rising and falling series of high-pitched coos, often with a hiccuping or sobbing quality.
White-winged DoveZenaida asiaticaBulky, grayish-brown dove with conspicuous white patch on wings. When perched, the white patch looks like a line along the bottom edge of the wing, but it is more obvious in flight, contrasting with the dark outer wings. Also look for bold white tips on tail feathers. Heftier and shorter-tailed than Mourning Dove. Also compare with Eurasian Collared-Dove; White-winged is darker and more contrasty on the wings and tail. Found in deserts, fields, cities and suburbs, and open wooded habitats from the southern U.S. to Panama (including the Caribbean). Usually common, sometimes traveling in large flocks, especially in winter. Visits backyard feeders.