PIGEONS AND DOVES   -   COLUMBIDAE

Plain-breasted Ground-Dove Columbina minuta minuta Mitú, Vaupés department, Colombia. Can often be hard to distinguish from females of the next species. The best way is the chestnut patch in the flight feathers, which is not visible in this photos, since that feature normally is only obvious in flight. (S6)

Ruddy Ground-Dove Columbina talpacoti talpacoti Reserva Ecologica de Guapi Assu, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. What is that thing on it's beak? If it's just a clod of dirt, why does doesn't the silly bird wipe it off? (D2)

Ecuadorian Ground-Dove Columbina buckleyi Finca Exito I, c. 20 km north of Puerto Quito, Pichincha province, Ecuador. Female. A species closely related to Ruddy Ground-Dove C. talpacoti, replacing it west of the Andes in Ecuador and adjacents parts of Peru and Colombia. (S5)

Scaled Dove Columbina squammata squammata North American birders will notice the extraordinary similarity of this species to Inca Dove (C. inca). Were the two to occur together, they would difficult to tell apart by sight. Their songs are different, with Scaled Dove having a three note song and Inca Dove only two notes. (D2)

Picui Ground-Dove Columbina picui strepitans Jeremoaba-Canudos road, Bahia state, Brazil. Picuí is a small city in NE Brazil, in the state of Paraíba. I suspect that's where this bird got it's name. (D3)

Croaking Ground-Dove Columbina cruziana Chaparrí reserve, Lambayeque deaprtment, Peru. A characteristic bird of arid areas from Ecuador to northern Chile. Easily recognizable by the bright yellow spot at the base of its beak, and by the bizarre call that gives it its name. (S6)

Bare-faced Ground-Dove Metriopelia ceciliae zimmeri Putre, Region I, Chile. Another ground-dove restricted to arid regions. This one is found from northern Peru south to northern Chile and Argentina. (S5)

Bare-eyed Ground-Dove Metriopelia morenoi Los Cardones NP, Salta province, Argentina. This ground-dove is endemic to the Argentinean Andes. It replaces the Bare-eyed Ground-Dove M. ceciliae (above) farther south. It is similar, but lacks that species' mottling on the wings. (S5)

Black-winged Ground-Dove Metriopelia melanoptera melanoptera La Cuesta del Obispo, Salta province, Argentina. A ground-dove only found in páramo and puna at high elevations in the Andes. It has a white patch on the underwing lining that is more conspicuous in flight, but this bird is showing it well. (S5)

Black-winged Ground-Dove Metriopelia melanoptera saturiator Antisana reserve, Napo province, Ecuador. A different subspecies found in the páramo of Colombia and Ecuador. It's browner overall. (S3)

Long-tailed Ground-Dove Uropelia campestris Caiman Lodge, Mato Grosso de Sul state, Brazil. A distinctive ground-dove primarily occurring in central Brazil. It is the only member of the genus Uropelia. (D3)

Scaled Pigeon Patagioenas speciosa Chapada dos Guimarães, Mato Grosso state, Brazil. The prettiest pigeon in the Americas. It's quite widespread, found from Mexico to Argentina, yet no subspecies are recognized. (S6)

Picazuro Pigeon Patagioenas picazuro picazuro Itatiaia NP, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. The most common and widespread pigeon in eastern South America. The name comes from the Güaraní indigenous language. It apparently translates as "sour pigeon", referring to their flavor (Jobling 1991). (S6)

Peruvian Pigeon Patagioenas oenops Bridge over the Río Marañon on the border of the departments of Cajamarca and Amazonas, near Balsas, Peru. A rare and threatened pigeon found only in mid-elevation areas of the Marañon drainage. It's almost endemic to Peru, but barely gets into extreme southern Ecuador. (D2)

Plumbeous Pigeon Patagioenas plumbea chapmani Tandayapa Bird Lodge, Pichincha province, Ecuador. It was too close to digiscope properly. It can sometimes be difficult to tell apart from Ruddy Pigeon (P. subvinacea) when not singing. As far as I know, Ruddy Pigeon never has a pale iris, which can be good clue, but not all Plumbeous Pigeons show a pale iris. (D1)

Short-billed Pigeon Patagioenas nigrirostris La Selva OTS, Heredia province, Costa Rica. The common pigeon in humid rainforest in Central America. The one on the right looks to be a juvenile. (D3)

West Peruvian Dove Zenaida meloda Chaparrí Reserve, Lambayeque department, Peru. A well-named species, though it also reaches into southwestern Ecuador and nothern Chile. It occurs in rather astounding numbers in Lima. (S6)

Galapagos Dove Zenaida galapagoensis galapagoensis Española Island, Galapagos, Ecuador. The only member of the family found on the archipelago - also one of the most distinctive of the Neotropics. (S5)

Eared Dove Zenaida auriculata virgata Costanera Sur ecological reserve, Buenos Aires, Argentina. One of the most common and widespread doves in South America. In some parts of Argentina it is the most abundant bird and a crop pest. (S5)

White-tipped Dove Leptotila verreauxi decolor Tandayapa Bird Lodge, Pichincha province, Ecuador. Foraging in the compost pile near the lodge. (S5f)

White-tipped Dove Leptotila verreauxi ssp.? Pantanal Wildlife Center, Mato Grosso state, Brazil. Lodge staff put out seed, so they are all over the place here, totally unafraid. (S6)

White-tipped Dove Leptotila verreauxi riottei La Selva OTS, Heredia province, Costa Rica. This subspecies shows much more blue around the eye. (S6)

Chiriqui Quail-Dove Geotrygon chiriquensis Arenal Observatory Lodge, Alajuela province, Costa Rica. This scarce and shy species, restricted to cloudforests of Costa Rica and western Panama, came in to feed on the lawn in front of the lodge one morning; a lifer for me. (S6)

Tuxtla Quail-Dove Geotrygon carrikeri Sierra de las Tuxtlas, Veracruz state, Mexico. Its head was the best I could do. These shy birds are endemic to this one small mountain range. (S5f)

White-throated Quail-Dove Geotrygon frenata bourcieri Tandayapa Bird Lodge, Pichincha province, Ecuador. A pair of these birds visits a compost pile next to a hide almost daily. (S5)