By Bernard Dupont, CC BY-SA 2.0
Etymology: Tailed Dove
First Described By: Bonaparte, 1855
Classification: Dinosauromorpha, Dinosauriformes, Dracohors, Dinosauria, Saurischia, Eusaurischia, Theropoda, Neotheropoda, Averostra, Tetanurae, Orionides, Avetheropoda, Coelurosauria, Tyrannoraptora, Maniraptoromorpha, Maniraptoriformes, Maniraptora, Pennaraptora, Paraves, Eumaniraptora, Averaptora, Avialae, Euavialae, Avebrevicauda, Pygostaylia, Ornithothoraces, Euornithes, Ornithuromorpha, Ornithurae, Neornithes, Neognathae, Neoaves, Columbaves, Columbimorphae, Columbiformes, Columbidae,
Status: Extant, Least Concern
Time and Place: Within the last 10,000 years, in the Holocene of the Quaternary
The Long-Tailed Ground-Dove is mainly found in the Amazon basin
Physical Description: These doves are distinctive for exactly what their name would suggest – they have long tails for pigeons! Ranging between 15 and 18 centimeters in length, they are brown on top with darker brown tails and wing-tips, with black patches on the wings. Their heads are grey, with dark grey beaks. Their undersides are light brown and their rumps are white. Interestingly, they also have yellow scales – a yellow ring around their eyes, and their feet are yellow. The females tend to be paler than the males. The juveniles tend on the duller side. They are distinguished from other doves due to that long tail and the yellow color of their feet.
Diet: This Ground-Dove mainly feeds on ground seeds.
Behavior: These doves will group up together near the edges of woodlands and on the ground in grassier habitats, usually in smaller groups of three to five birds. They’ll peck around on the ground looking for sources of food together, and give high-pitched wha-oop calls when distressed or trying to keep the group together. They tend to not migrate, but stay in one region throughout the year; their breeding habits are poorly known, though they probably start matings in the dry season.
By Bernard Dupont, CC BY-SA 2.0
Ecosystem: These doves are found primarily in seasonally wet grasslands, savannas and on forest edges. They avoid denser vegetations or humid regions, opting for more scrubland habitats.
Other: Long-Tailed Ground Doves aren’t threatened with extinction; they’re fairly common, but not the most common doves in the Amazon, especially during the dry season. They are found in other locations such as the Poconé region. Habitat destruction, however, is a major threat again this bird, especially today.
~ By Meig Dickson
Sources under the Cut
A Dinosaur A Day 