The white-throated ground dove (''Pampusana xanthonura'') is a species of ground

dove 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 ...

in the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

Gallicolumba ''Gallicolumba'' is a mid-sized genus of ground-dwelling doves (family Columbidae) which occur in rainforests on the Philippines. Local name 'punay' which is a general term for pigeons and doves. They are not closely related to the American groun ...

''. It is classified as near-threatened. This species was formerly in the genus ''Alopecoenas'' Sharpe, 1899, but the name of the genus was changed in 2019 to ''Pampusana'' Bonaparte, 1855 as this name has priority. White Throated Ground Dove Female 039

Description

This species averages in length and weighs .''CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses'' by John B. Dunning Jr. (Editor). CRC Press (1992), . The male white-throated ground dove has a chocolate brown body with white head and breast while the females are shade of brown with no white on the body.

Diet

The white-throated ground dove commonly feeds on fruit and occasionally feeds on insects, seeds and leaves.

Behaviour

Males are seen more often than females; both are very territorial. These birds are very shy and are often hard to find in the thick forests in which they reside. The males are forage for food and fly throughout the forests they inhabit while the females usually stay hidden. The white-throated ground dove likes to sun itself.

Habitat and Distribution

The dove is frequent appearing in its natural undisturbed environment which mainly consists of native forest, it can also be found in introduced plantations or secondary forests. The dove does not migrate. The white-throated ground dove is found on

Yap Yap ( yap, Waqaab) traditionally refers to an island group located in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, a part of Yap State. The name "Yap" in recent years has come to also refer to the state within the Federated States of Micr ...

and in the Northern

Mariana Islands The Mariana Islands (; also the Marianas; in Chamorro: ''Manislan Mariånas'') are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, betw ...

. It once inhabited

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

but the Guam population was made extinct from the predation of the introduced brown tree snake ''

Boiga irregularis The brown tree snake (''Boiga irregularis''), also known as the brown catsnake, is an arboreal rear-fanged colubrid snake native to eastern and northern coastal Australia, eastern Indonesia (Sulawesi to Papua), Papua New Guinea, and many islands ...

''.

Reproduction

The female lays only one egg and both parents tend to the nest the pair mate for life, nests are made from intertwined twigs and are placed highly in trees. The nesting period lasts from January to March and recently fledged males court for females.

Population

The species is currently decreasing in numbers but not at a drastic rate. The white-throated ground dove is considered a concern as of its small range that it inhabits and the fact that it is unusual to find.

Voice

A deep moaning sound that gets louder in the middle of the call.

Threats

The species can still be legally hunted in the Northern Mariana Islands, the white-throated ground dove is also affected by habitat loss and the unnatural predation from introduced species.

Conservation

A conservation effort was started by the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. It aims to monitor populations and restrict hunting in the most affected areas. The conservation effort is also setting aside land and creating barriers and setting up devices to stop invasive species from affecting population. Future captive-breeding plans are underway.

References

# http://oldredlist.iucnredlist.org/details/22691037/0 - Retrieved 6 June 2017 # http://www.hbw.com/species/white-throated-ground-dove-alopecoenas-xanthonurus - Retrieved 6 June 2017 # http://www.mzsdocents.org/monographs/files/white_throated_ground_dove.pdf - Retrieved 6 June 2017 {{Taxonbar, from=Q27074706

white-throated ground dove The white-throated ground dove (''Pampusana xanthonura'') is a species of ground dove in the genus ''Gallicolumba''. It is classified as near-threatened. This species was formerly in the genus ''Alopecoenas'' Sharpe, 1899, but the name of the ...

Birds of Yap Birds of Micronesia

Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN