Common Ground-Dove

IDENTIFICATION: A tiny, gray dove, with a scaly appearance on the head and breast. The rufous wings are striking in flight. Length: 15-18 cm.; weight: 22-42 g.

VOICE: The song is a rising "woo-ah", repeated persistently at any time of day, but especially at dawn. Audio (M. Oberle). Calling peaks between April and June.

HABITAT: Farms, open country and towns.

HABITS: Bobs its head vigorously as it walks in fields, grassy roadsides, and even city streets looking for seeds and berries. It is easily attracted to bird feeders, where it protects the best feeding spots by flashing its bright rufous wing linings to scare off rivals of its own species, and sometimes other birds as well. When flushed it flies low for a short distance, then hides in shrubs or grass. Pairs travel together throughout the year. Before mating, the pair vigorously bob their heads up and down while moving from one perch to another. The nest is a flat, stick platform in a tree, palm, or sometimes a depression in the ground. It even nests on top of air conditioners or roofs. The nest contains two white eggs. Both sexes incubate the eggs for 13-14 days, and feed the young until fledging 11-13 days after hatching. Like other doves, its crop produces pigeonÆs milk, a thick secretion for feeding the young birds. May have several broods in one year.

STATUS AND CONSERVATION: An abundant bird in Puerto Rico in open country at mid- to lower elevations, where it has adapted well to urbanization. It is more common now than two centuries ago due to clearing of forests.

RANGE: Occurs from the southern United States, throughout the Caribbean islands, to Ecuador and southern Brazil.

TAXONOMY: COLUMBIFORMES; COLUMBIDAE. There are 18 subspecies of the Common Ground-Dove, one of which (Columbina passerina portoricensis) is unique to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. It is smaller and more heavily scaled than North American subspecies. Another subspecies (Columbina passerina exigua), inhabits Mona Island.

Photo: A. Sßnchez Mu±oz

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).

Bowman, R. 2002. Common Ground-Dove (Columbina passerina). In The Birds of North America, No. 645 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.

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

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

Garcφa, M. A, C. E. Diez, and A. O. ┴lvarez. 2001. The impact of feral cats on Mona Island wildlife and recommendations for their control. Carib. J. Sci. 37:107-108.

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. 1987. Aspectos de la alimentación de la rolita de Puerto Rico (Columbina passerina portoricensis). Science-Ciencia 14(1):27-30.

Pérez-Rivera, R.A. 1988. Dust bathing in the Puerto Rican Ground Dove (Columbina passerina portoricensis). Science-Ciencia 15(2):41.

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

Common Ground-Dove, Spanish text

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