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 feed on plants, and can be taxonomically divided amongst granivores, that feed mostly on the ground on seeds, and frugivores, that feed mostly on fruits, from branches. The family occurs worldwide, often in close proximity with humans, but the greatest variety is in the Indomalayan and Australasian realms.
Streptopelia is a genus of 15 species of birds in the pigeon and dove family Columbidae native to the Old World in Africa, Europe, and Asia. These are mainly slim, small to medium-sized species. The upperparts tend to be buffy brown and the underparts are often a shade of pinkish-brown, and they have a characteristic black-and-white patch on the neck. They have cooing or purring songs, monotonous in some, restful and soothing in others. The genus divides into two groups, the collared dove group with uniform upperparts and a black half-collar edged with white, and the turtle dove group with patterned upperparts and a barred side panel on the neck. They range in size from the 20–23 cm red collared dove to the 33–35 cm oriental turtle dove. Most of the species are resident or disperse over short distances, but two are long-distance migrants breeding in temperate areas and wintering in the tropics. The sexes are not differentiated in most of the species, except for the red collared dove, where the males are orange-red with a greyish head, and the females a duller brown.
The purple-winged ground dove is a critically endangered species of dove, native to the Atlantic forest, mainly near bamboo, in south-eastern Brazil, far eastern Paraguay, and northern-eastern Argentina. It is threatened by habitat loss and possibly the wild bird trade, and could potentially even be extinct due to its specialized requirements.
The eared dove is a New World dove. It is a resident breeder throughout South America from Colombia to southern Argentina and Chile, and on the offshore islands from the Grenadines southwards. It may be a relatively recent colonist of Tobago and Trinidad. It appears to be partially migratory, its movements driven by food supplies.
The zenaida doves make up a small genus (Zenaida) of American doves in the family Columbidae.
The Zenaida dove is a member of the bird family Columbidae, which includes doves and pigeons. It is the national bird of Anguilla, where it is locally referred to as "turtle dove".
The Key West quail-dove is a species of bird from the doves and pigeon family Columbidae. It is probably most closely related to the bridled quail-dove.
The ruddy quail-dove is a species of bird in the dove and pigeon family Columbidae. It breeds throughout the West Indies, Central America, and tropical South America. It has appeared as a vagrant in Florida and southern Texas. It lays two buff-colored eggs on a flimsy platform built on a shrub. Some nests are built on the ground.
The West Peruvian dove or Pacific dove is a species of dove in the genus Zenaida.
The blue pigeons are a genus, Alectroenas, of birds in the dove and pigeon family Columbidae. They are native to islands in the western Indian Ocean.
The grey-fronted quail-dove is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to Cuba.
The olive-backed quail-dove is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Panama.
The crested quail-dove is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to Jamaica.
Leptotila is a genus of birds in the dove and pigeon family Columbidae. These are ground-foraging doves that live in the Americas.
The Caribbean dove is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is found in Belize, the Cayman Islands, Colombia, Honduras, Jamaica, and Mexico. It has been introduced to the Bahamas.
The blue-headed quail dove, or blue-headed partridge-dove, is a species of bird in the pigeon and dove family Columbidae. It is monotypic within the subfamily Starnoenadinae and genus Starnoenas.
Paraclaravis is a genus that contains two species of doves that live in the Neotropics, with ranges in Middle America and South America. Paraclaravis doves have red eyes and pink legs, and the plumages of the males are primarily light grey-blue, and the females are primarily brown. Both sexes have a series of distinctive spots or bands on the wings. They are fairly arboreal for ground doves. Paraclaravis doves have a distinct fast and rocking flight pattern. They are found alone, in pairs or in small flocks in forests. Both species are generally local and rare, and appears to be associated with flowering bamboo.
Columbinae is a subfamily of birds from the family Columbidae. Otherwise, four genera Geotrygon, Leptotila, Starnoenas and Zenaida form subfamily Leptotilinae.
Zentrygon is a bird genus in the pigeon and dove family (Columbidae). Its members are called quail-doves and all live in the Neotropics.
