The golden-spotted ground dove (''Metriopelia aymara'') 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 golden-spotted ground dove was placed in the

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

genus ''Leptophaps'' by some authors. It has no subspecies.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

Description

The adult golden-spotted ground dove's upperparts are pale fawn brown with a reddish pink tinge. Its throat is white, its belly buff, and the underparts between them reddish pink. The inner tail feathers are grayish brown with black tips and the outer ones purplish black. The closed wing shows a row of the eponymous iridescent golden spots, two purplish black patches, and a purplish black swath at the tips of the flight feathers. The eye is brown, and uniquely in its genus, is not surrounded by bare skin. Juveniles are paler than the adults, have little or no pink, and do not have the golden spots on the wing.Baptista, L. F., P. W. Trail, H. M. Horblit, P. F. D. Boesman, and E. F. J. Garcia (2020). Golden-spotted Ground Dove (''Metriopelia aymara''), 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.gsgdov1.01 retrieved September 17, 2021

Distribution and habitat

The golden-spotted ground dove is found from

Ancash Ancash ( qu, Anqash; es, Áncash ) is a department and region in northern Peru. It is bordered by the departments of La Libertad on the north, Huánuco and Pasco on the east, Lima on the south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. Its capital i ...

in central Peru east to west-central Bolivia and south to Chile's

Coquimbo Region The Coquimbo Region ( es, Región de Coquimbo, ) is one of Chile's 16 regions (first order administrative divisions). It is bordered by Atacama to the north, Valparaíso to the south, Argentina to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

and Argentina's

Mendoza Province Mendoza, officially Province of Mendoza, is a province of Argentina, in the western central part of the country in the Cuyo region. It borders San Juan to the north, La Pampa and Neuquén to the south, San Luis to the east, and the republic o ...

. It inhabits the arid and semi-arid parts of the '' puna'' zone of the Andes. There it is found on the plains, along lake shores, and amid grass tussocks. It flocks in ''Polylepis'' woodland or rocky terrain during the nesting season. In elevation it mostly ranges between but can be found as low as in the southern part of its range.

Behavior

Feeding

The golden-spotted ground dove feeds on the ground, usually in small flocks but sometimes large ones. Its diet has not been studied.

Breeding

The golden-spotted ground dove usually places its nest in grass but may also site it in trees or among rocks. Nests with eggs have been found between April and August and juveniles from July to as late as December. The clutch size is two.

Vocalization

No details of the golden-spotted ground dove's vocalizations have been published. Its wings rattle during takeoff.

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 golden-spotted ground dove as being of Least Concern. It "appears to be locally common in some areas" but its biology and ecology are almost unknown.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q793129 golden-spotted ground dove Birds of the Puna grassland golden-spotted ground dove golden-spotted ground dove Taxonomy articles created by Polbot