Peaceful dove

Last updated

Peaceful dove
Geopelia placida - Glen Davis.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Columbiformes
Family: Columbidae
Genus: Geopelia
Species:
G. placida
Binomial name
Geopelia placida
Gould, 1844

The peaceful dove (Geopelia placida) is a pigeon native to Australia and New Guinea. The peaceful dove is closely related to the zebra dove of south-east Asia and the barred dove of eastern Indonesia. Until recently, the three were classed as a single species, Geopelia striata, known as peaceful dove or zebra dove.

Contents

Description

The bird is a relatively small pigeon and varies in length from 19 to 21 centimetres (7.6 to 8.4 inches). The peaceful dove has a pink-grey breast with chequered grey-brown wings. Thin striations of black appear around the neck and nape area and descend down the back. The eye is greyish-white and a blue-grey ring surrounds the eye that tapers off and joins the beak/cere. The juveniles are paler and less striated. They also have a duller eye ring. The nape is similar to that of the bar-shouldered dove in that the nape feathers are striated but differs in that the bar-shouldered dove does not have striated throat feathers like the peaceful dove. Furthermore, the nape feathers are grey-brown in colour compared to the vivid copper colour seen with bar-shouldered doves.

Calls of the peaceful dove are high-pitched "doodle-doo", "co-co-coo" and "croorrr!".

Behaviour

The peaceful dove is found in pairs, groups and flocks. They feed off the ground and are found commonly in streets and gardens. They also are found in scrublands, woodlands, watercourses, railyards and on the edge of rainforests. When not found on the ground feeding, they can be found in trees roosting.

The doves fly in a rapid, undulating motion. The wings make a flushing "frrr" noise when the birds are in flight.

Nesting

Breeding occurs from October to January in southern Australia and from March to June in northern Australia. Nests are built on horizontal branches of trees. Two white eggs are laid. The doves are very aggressive to other birds when breeding.

Distribution

They can be found all over Australia except Tasmania, southern Victoria and south western Australia . Unfortunately, the doves' range is reducing due to competition with the introduced spotted turtle dove. In New Guinea they are mainly found in the south of the island but also occur at a few sites in the north and on the Aru Islands.

In Cairns, Australia Geopelia placida -Cairns-6.JPG
In Cairns, Australia

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mourning collared dove</span> Species of bird

The mourning collared dove or African mourning dove is a dove which is a widespread resident breeding bird in Africa south of the Sahara. Despite its name, it is not related to the North American mourning dove. This species is common or abundant near water. They often mingle peacefully with other doves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common emerald dove</span> Bird species

The emerald dove or common emerald dove, also called Asian emerald dove and grey-capped emerald dove, is a widespread resident breeding pigeon native to the tropical and subtropical parts of the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. The dove is also known by the names of green dove and green-winged pigeon. The common emerald dove is the state bird of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The Pacific emerald dove and Stephan's emerald dove were both considered conspecific.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crested pigeon</span> Species of bird

The crested pigeon is a bird found widely throughout mainland Australia except for the far northern tropical areas. Only two Australian pigeon species possess an erect crest, the crested pigeon and the spinifex pigeon. The crested pigeon is the larger of the two species. The crested pigeon is sometimes referred to as a topknot pigeon, a common name shared with the reddish crested Lopholaimus antarcticus of Eastern Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bar-shouldered dove</span> Species of bird

The bar-shouldered dove is a species of long tailed dove native to Australia and Southern New Guinea. It is protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974. It is a medium-sized pigeon varying in size from 26–30 cm (10–12 in). Its voice is a distinctive and melodious "cook-a-wook" or "coolicoo".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Superb fruit dove</span> Species of bird

The superb fruit dove, also known as the purple-crowned fruit dove, is a medium-sized, colourful fruit-dove in the family Columbidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diamond dove</span> Species of bird

The diamond dove is a resident bird in Australia. The dove predominantly exists in areas near water but which are lightly arid or semi-arid in nature, being Central, West and Northern Australia. They are one of Australia's smallest pigeons along with the peaceful dove. They have been spotted occasionally in Southern Australia in parks and gardens when the centre of Australia is very dry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zebra dove</span> Species of dove from Southeast Asia

The zebra dove, also known as the barred ground dove, or barred dove, is a species of bird of the dove family, Columbidae, native to Southeast Asia. They are small birds with a long tail, predominantly brownish-grey in colour with black-and-white barring. The species is known for its pleasant, soft, staccato cooing calls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-headed pigeon</span> Species of bird

The white-headed pigeon is a pigeon native to the east coast of Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barred dove</span> Species of dove from Indonesia

The barred dove is a small dove that is native and endemic to the Lesser Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is closely related to the zebra dove of southeast Asia and the peaceful dove of Australia and New Guinea.

<i>Geopelia</i> Genus of doves

Geopelia is a genus of small, long-tailed doves in the family Columbidae. They are native to South-east Asia and Australasia and are most often found in open country and scrubland. They feed mainly on seeds which they find by foraging on the ground. They typically lay two eggs in a simple nest of twigs and grass. Their plumage is mostly greyish-brown with a pattern of spots or bars. The zebra dove and diamond dove are commonly kept in captivity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christmas imperial pigeon</span> Species of bird

The Christmas imperial pigeon or Christmas Island imperial pigeon, also known as Black imperial pigeon, Dusky imperial pigeon, Wharton's imperial pigeon, or burong pergam, is a large imperial pigeon endemic to Christmas Island in the northeastern Indian Ocean. It has an overall grey-blue colouration, and juveniles are duller than adults. It makes a soft purring coo sound and a deeper whoo sound comparable to a cow mooing. It lays one glossy white egg per brood, and is possibly somewhat colonial.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Island bronze-naped pigeon</span> Species of bird

The island bronze-naped pigeon, also known as the São Tomé bronze-naped pigeon or São Tomé pigeon, is a species of bird in the pigeon family, Columbidae. It is endemic to the Gulf of Guinea, where it is found on the islands of São Tomé, Príncipe, and Annobón. It inhabits rainforest, secondary forests, and plantations at elevations of up to 1,668 m (5,472 ft), although it is more common at lower elevations. A small, darkish pigeon, it has a total length of 28 cm (11 in). Adult males have slate-grey heads and upper backs, blackish-grey wings, backs, and tails, buffy-white throats, ashy-grey breasts and bellies, and rufous vents. The back of the neck and upper back are glossy pink or green, while the wings have a green tinge to them. Females are similar, but have browner undersides, duller and less glossy upperparts, and more rusty-orange outer tail feathers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mindoro imperial pigeon</span> Species of bird

The Mindoro imperial pigeon, also known as Mindoro zone-tailed pigeon, Great Mindoro pigeon or Pink-throated Imperial pigeon, is a bird species in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to the mountains of Mindoro in central Philippines and is the largest pigeon in the country reaching 50cm in length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Torresian imperial pigeon</span> Species of bird

The Torresian imperial pigeon, also known as the nutmeg pigeon, white nutmeg pigeon, Australian pied imperial pigeon or Torres Strait pigeon, is a relatively large, pied species of pigeon. It is found in forest, woodland, savanna, mangrove and scrub in Australia, New Guinea, Aru Islands, islands in the Geelvink Bay, D'Entrecasteaux Islands and Louisiade Archipelago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pied cuckoo-dove</span> Species of bird

The pied cuckoo-dove is a species of bird in the pigeon family, Columbidae. First described by English zoologist Philip Sclater in 1877, it is endemic to the Bismarck Archipelago, where it mainly inhabits lowland and hill forests at elevations of up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft). It is a large, distinctive pigeon, with a length of 40–46 cm (16–18 in) and a weight of 279–325 g (9.8–11.5 oz). Adults are mainly black and white. The heads and underparts are whitish, while the wings, tails, and upperparts are black. Both sexes look alike. Juveniles are mainly sooty-grey in colour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific emerald dove</span> Species of bird

The Pacific emerald dove or brown-capped emerald dove is a pigeon which is a widespread resident breeding bird in the tropical and sub-tropical parts of Indonesia to northern and eastern Australia. It was formerly conspecific with the common emerald dove.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brown cuckoo-dove</span> Species of bird

The brown cuckoo-dove is a dove in the genus Macropygia found in Australia from Weipa and Aurukun in the north to Bega in the south, and most inland at Atherton and Toowoomba. It is sometimes called the "brown pigeon" or "pheasant pigeon", but both terms are best avoided, as they can lead to confusion with the brown doves and the true pheasant pigeon. It was one of three new species defined when the slender-billed cuckoo-dove was split in 2016.

References

  1. BirdLife International (2016). "Geopelia placida". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22690719A93285055. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22690719A93285055.en . Retrieved 13 November 2021.