The bare-faced ground dove (''Metriopelia ceciliae'') is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

in the family

Columbidae Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...

. It is found in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

, and

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

Taxonomy and systematics

The bare-faced ground dove and its sister species

Moreno's ground dove Moreno's ground dove (''Metriopelia morenoi'') or the bare-eyed ground dove, is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to Argentina.Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Ger ...

(''Metriopelia morenoi'') were previously placed in genus ''Gymnopelia''.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 24 August 2021. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved August 24, 2021 Three subspecies are recognized, the nominate ''Metropelia ceciliae ceciliae'', ''M. c. obsoleta'', and ''M. c. zimmeri''. However, the

Cornell Lab of Ornithology The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a member-supported unit of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, which studies birds and other wildlife. It is housed in the Imogene Powers Johnson Center for Birds and Biodiversity in Sapsucker Woods Sanctuar ...

's ''Birds of the World'' considers ''M. c. obsoleta'' to be "doubtfully valid".Baptista, L. F., P. W. Trail, H. M. Horblit, P. F. D. Boesman, and E. F. J. Garcia (2020). Bare-faced Ground Dove (''Metriopelia ceciliae''), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.bfgdov1.01 retrieved September 16, 2021

Description

The bare-faced ground dove is long and weighs about . The nominate subspecies is brown or grayish brown above, with white or buffy tips on feathers giving a spotted appearance. Its neck and breast are gray with a reddish or pinkish tinge and its belly is buffy. The outer tail feathers are black with white tips. The eye is blue or bluish white surrounded by bare yellow to orange skin that is itself surrounded by narrow black feathers. Male and female plumages are essentially alike though the female's breast is less pink. Juveniles are similar to the adults. ''M. c. obsoleta'' is paler and grayer than the nominate, and ''M. c. zimmeri'' is darker, browner, and has a yellow to blue eye.

Distribution and habitat

The nominate subspecies of bare-faced ground dove is fond in western Peru, ''M. c. obsoleta'' in northern Peru, and ''M. c. zimmeri'' in southern Peru, western Bolivia, northern Chile, and northwestern Argentina. They inhabit arid and semi-arid landscapes of sandy soil with little vegetation. In higher elevation areas it frequents human habitations, apparently because the surrounding countryside is treeless, and it is also common in major urban areas such as

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...

. In elevation it generally ranges between but is found much lower in western Peru.

Behavior

Feeding

The bare-faced ground dove is known to feed on the ground, usually in small groups, but its diet has not been documented.

Breeding

The bare-faced ground dove nests on the ground, on cliffs, or in holes in buildings. Essentially nothing else is known about its breeding

phenology Phenology is the study of periodic events in biological life cycles and how these are influenced by seasonality, seasonal and interannual variations in climate, as well as environmental factor, habitat factors (such as elevation). Examples includ ...

Vocalization

Though the bare-faced ground dove's vocalizations are not well known, it "has been recorded producing a series of five similar ascending and later abruptly descending double-sounding cooing notes" and a "Wo ow" sound "like a growling wow".

Status

The

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

has assessed the bare-faced ground dove as being of Least Concern. It is " onsideredcommon throughout most of its range" and " s not obviously suffered adverse effects from man".

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q917147 bare-faced ground dove Birds of the Puna grassland bare-faced ground dove Taxonomy articles created by Polbot