Namaqua Dove

Male, Subspecies capensis
Photo © by AJDH
Damman, Saudi Arabia

Oena capensis

Identification

Female
Photo © by volker sthamer
Awash, Ethiopia, February 2017

28 cm (11 in)

• Black forehead, face, throat and front of breast, with narrow greyish-white edging
• Bluish-grey neck sides, remained of head, breast and wing-coverts
• White belly
• Chestnut primaries
• Long black tapered tail
• Yellow and red bill
  

Female lacks the black and has a red-based grey bill
Young birds are similar to the female, but have dark blotches on the wings and shoulders.

Distribution

Sub-saharan Africa (with Madagascar), Socotra and the Arabian Peninsula.

Taxonomy

It is the only species in the genus Oena.

Subspecies

Juvenile, Subspecies capensis
Photo © by AJDH
Badaan Farm, Bahrain

There are 2 subspecies^[1]:

• O. c. capensis:

• Africa south of the Sahara, Socotra and Arabia

• O. c. aliena:

• Madagascar

Habitat

Dry deciduous forest, brushland, scrub, semi desert and desert, savanna. Farm land, palm orchards, open woodland. Reed beds and brackish water.

Behaviour

Breeding

They construct a stick nest in a bush. The clutch consists of 2 white eggs, which are incubated by the female for 16 days.

Diet

Their diet includes mainly small grass and herb seeds.

Gallery

Click on photo for larger image

• 

  Male, Subspecies aliena
  Photo © by Dave Clark
  Ankarana National Park, Northern Madagascar, September 2012

• 

  Subspecies capensis
  Photo © by ammadoux
  Jizan highway, South of Jedddh, Saudi Arabia, March 2018

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved June 2017)
3. BF Member observations
4. Wikipedia

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Namaqua Dove. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 21 November 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Namaqua_Dove

External Links

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