The Ecuadorian ground dove (''Columbina buckleyi'') 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 Ecuador and Peru.

Taxonomy and systematics

The Ecuadorian ground dove and three other species were for a time placed in genus ''Columbigallina'', which was later merged into ''Columbina''. It was also formerly treated as a subspecies of ruddy ground dove (''C. talpacoti'') and forms a superspecies with it now.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 The Ecuadorian ground dove has two subspecies, the nominate ''C. b. buckleyi'' and ''C. b. dorsti''.

Description

The Ecuadorian ground dove is long and weighs about . The male's forehead and face are grayish pink that darkens to a deep mauve pink on the breast and underparts. Its crown and nape are bluish gray and the upperparts brownish gray. The closed wing shows lines of black spots. The central tail feathers are gray and the rest black; the outermost have white tips. The female is browner than the male with less of a pink wash.Baptista, L. F., P. W. Trail, H. M. Horblit, P. F. D. Boesman, E. de Juana, and E. F. J. Garcia (2020). Ecuadorian Ground Dove (''Columbina buckleyi''), 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.ecgdov1.01 retrieved September 15, 2021

Distribution and habitat

The nominate subspecies of Ecuadorian ground dove is found from Esmeraldas Province in northwestern Ecuador south to Peru's far northern Department of Tumbes. ''C. b. dorsti'' is found separately, in the Marañón River, Marañon Valley of northwestern Peru. They inhabit a range of landscapes including dry open semi-deciduous and deciduous woodland and thicker woodland, gardens, agricultural areas, and more humid young secondary forest. In elevation the species ranges from sea level to .

Behavior

Feeding

The Ecuadorian ground dove's feeding behavior and diet have not been studied, but it probably feeds on small seeds like others of its genus.

Breeding

Active nests of the Ecuadorian ground dove were found in February and March. They were strong and cup shaped, unlike the flimsy stick platforms of most other doves. They were placed in bushes or trees up to above ground and three of them contained two eggs.

Vocalization

The Ecuadorian ground dove's song is "a series of evenly-spaced, low-pitched slightly upslurred cooing notes...huWOO...huWOO...huWOO....".

Status

The IUCN has assessed the Ecuadorian ground dove as being of Least Concern. Though it is thought to be fairly common, its "very small range and almost total lack of information regarding its biology indicate that at least some basic research is highly desirable."

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q955859 Columbina (genus), Ecuadorian ground dove Birds of Ecuador Birds of the Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena Birds described in 1877, Ecuadorian ground dove Taxa named by Philip Sclater, Ecuadorian ground dove Taxa named by Osbert Salvin, Ecuadorian ground dove Taxonomy articles created by Polbot