Zenaida Dove

IDENTIFICATION: A plump, brown pigeon with an iridescent purple patch on the neck. It has black spots and a thin, white bar on the wings. The white outer feathers on its rounded tail, and the narrow, white trailing edge to the wings are striking in flight. Length: 28-30 cm.; weight: 120-180 g.

VOICE: The song is commonly described as a mournful, "cuacoo-coo-coo." Audio (M. Oberle)

HABITAT: Farms, mangroves, open forests, and towns, especially in lowlands.

HABITS: Often seen on exposed perches such as treetops and electrical lines, or flying quickly over open fields. The wings make a whistling sound as the bird takes off. The Zenaida Dove bobs its head as it walks on the ground searching for food, and will fly to streams and puddles for water early in the day. It sometimes feeds on fruits in trees, and is readily attracted to bird feeders near houses. It has been documented to feed on seeds and fruits of over 77 plant species in Puerto Rico, and occasionally eats ants, flies and earthworms. Its nest is a crude stick platform placed in a cactus, royal palm, mango or other tree, and contains two white eggs. The incubation period is 13-15 days, and the young fledge about two weeks after hatching. Can produce three to five broods in one year. In most of Puerto Rico, the nesting season peaks in February to May, but it may nest at any time of year. As with many dove species, the Zenaida Dove can disperse widely. One bird banded in Juncos in eastern Puerto Rico was shot on Vieques in the same year.

STATUS AND CONSERVATION: A common species except in dense forest. It nested on the ground at one time (and still does so on Mona and Culebra Islands), but the introduced mongoose has restricted ground nesting by this bird, as well as other species. The Zenaida Dove has probably increased in numbers due to the clearing of forests in the last two centuries. It is one of four dove species legally hunted (September to November).

RANGE: From the northern Yucatán Peninsula, and throughout the Caribbean islands, south to Grenada. It formerly occurred in the Florida Keys until extirpated by hunting and habitat destruction there.

TAXONOMY: COLUMBIFORMES; COLUMBIDAE

Photo: A. Sßnchez Mu±oz

Photo: M. Oberle

Photo:M. Oberle

References

Bent, A.C. 1938. Life histories of North American gallinaceous birds. Smithsonian Instit. U.S. National Museum Bull. 162. (Reprinted by Dover Press, NY, 1963).

Bradley, P. and Y. Rey-Millet. 1985. Birds of the Cayman Islands. P.E. Bradley, George Town, Grand Cayman.

Cruz, A. 1980. Avian feeding assemblages in Puerto Rico. Carib. J. Sci. 15:21-27.

del Hoyo, J., A. Elliott, and J. Sargatal, eds. 1998. Handbook of Birds of the World, Vol. 4. Sandgrouse to cuckoos. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.

Gibbs, D., E. Barnes, and J. Cox. 2001. Pigeons and doves: A guide to the pigeons and doves of the world. Yale University Press.

Ortiz Rosas, P. 1981. Guía del cazador: aves de caza y especies protegidas. Depto. de Recursos Naturales, San Juan, PR.

Pérez-Rivera, R.A. 1976. Estudio del reciclo y del potencial reproductivo de la tórtola cardosantera y la paloma turca de Puerto Rico. Science-Ciencia 3(3):76-79.

Pérez-Rivera, R.A. 1976. Defensa del nido y de los pichones por parte de la tórtola cardosantera (Zenaida aurita zenaida), la paloma turca (Columba squamosa) y la paloma sabanera (Columba inornata wetmorei) de Puerto Rico. Revista Cayey 8(16):93-98.

Maldonado, L. A. and R.A. Pérez-Rivera. 1977. Factores de supervivencia de la Tórtola Cardosantera (Zenaida aurita zenaida) en Puerto Rico. Science-Ciencia 4(3):66-70.

Raffaele, H.A. 1989. A guide to the birds of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Princeton.

Raffaele, H.A. 1989. Una guía a las aves de Puerto Rico y las Islas Vírgenes. Publishing Resources, Inc., Santurce, PR.

Raffaele, H.A., J.W. Wiley, O.H. Garrido, A.R. Keith, and J.I. Raffaele. 1998. Guide to the birds of the West Indies. Princeton.

Rivera-Milán, F.F. 1992. Distribution and abundance patterns of columbids in Puerto Rico. Condor 94:224-238.

Rivera-Milán, F.F. 1995. Spatial and temporal variation in the detectability and density of columbids in Puerto Rico and on Vieques Island. Orn. Neotrop 6:1-17.

Rivera- Milán, F.F. 1997. Seasonal and annual changes in the population density of Zenaida Doves in the xerophytic forest of Guánica, Puerto Rico. J. Field Ornithol. 68: 259-272.

Rivera Milßn, F. F. 2001. Transect surveys of columbid nests on Puerto Rico, Vieques, and Culebra islands. Condor 103:332-342.

Rivera-Milßn, F. F. and M. Vßzquez. 2000. Demography of Zenaida Doves in Puerto Rico. The Condor: 102(2):385-391.

Zenaida Dove, Spanish text

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