White-tipped Dove (us-RGV)
From WikiBird
Contents |
Regional Information
Range, Abundance, and Seasonal Variations
A common resident in the in much of the Lower Valley. Secretive except easily seen at feeders such as Sabal Palm Grove, Laguna Atascosa NWR, Santa Ana NWR, and Bentsen State Park.
Directions and Maps
See Rio Grande Valley hotspots for directions to the above mentions places.
General Information
Size
Length: 28cm (??in), Wingspan: ??cm (??in), Weight: 155g
Field Marks
Adult birds have a grey crown and neck, the latter showing purple iridescence. They have a pale-grey or whitish forehead and a whitish throat. The eye-ring is blue. The upperparts and wings are grey-brown, and the underparts are whitish shading to pink on the belly. The squared tail is broadly tipped with white. The bill is black and the legs red. Sexes similar. L. v. tobagensis, from Tobago, has paler underparts, a whiter throat, and lacks the sheen on the nape.
Similar species
The White-tipped Dove is very similar to the closely related Grey-fronted Dove, Leptotila rufaxilla, which prefers humid forest habitats. The best distinctions from Grey-fronted Dove are the greyer forehead and crown, and the blue eyering.
Sounds
The call is a deep hollow ooo-wooooo.
Feeding & Behavior
The food is mainly seeds but it will also take insects, including butterflies and moths. White-tipped Dove is usually seen singly or in pairs, and is rather wary. Its flight is fast and direct, with the regular beats and clattering of the wings which are characteristic of pigeons in general.
Habitat & Nesting
Inhabits scrub and open woodland. It builds a large stick nest in a tree and lays two white eggs. Incubation is about 14 days, and fledging another 15.
Range
Resident breeder from the southernmost USA through Mexico and Central America south to western Peru and central Argentina. It also breeds on the offshore islands of northern South America, including Trinidad.
Resources
