Steel spot doves
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Steel spot pigeon ( Turtur afer ) |
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| Turtur afer | ||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1766) |
The steel spot dove ( Turtur afer ) is a species of pigeon birds. It is a small ground-dwelling African bush pigeon and is found exclusively in Africa.
Appearance
The steel spot pigeon reaches a body length of 22 centimeters. It is therefore considerably smaller than a laughing dove . The physique is much more compact compared to this species. There is no gender dimorphism.
The top of the head of the steel spot pigeon is bluish gray, the forehead is a little brighter. A narrow black stripe runs from the base of the beak to the eye. The neck and chest are brownish pink. The throat is a little lighter, the belly lighter than the top of the body. On each of the larger wing covers there are two large, metallic bluish shimmering spots, which gave this species its name. The beak is red and brightens yellow towards the tip.
distribution and habitat
The steel spot pigeon occurs mainly in West and Central Africa. There are also populations in Ethiopia and Somalia, but the range is significantly disjoint here. In southern Africa it occurs via the Congo to Kenya and Tanzania, the south of Mozambique and the north-east of South Africa. It inhabits significantly more humid habitats than the bronze spot dove . The habitat is semi-humid forests and evergreen thickets in acacia and combretum savannas. Forests along rivers and in coastal areas are also typical habitats of this type. However, the steel-flecked dove is basically adaptable in terms of its habitat requirements and is also found on agricultural areas and secondary worlds. The altitude distribution extends from the lowlands to heights of 2,000 meters above sea level.
behavior
The steel spotted dove is basically a standing bird. Local and sometimes seasonal hikes are dependent on rainfall. In Ghana, for example, the steel spot dove migrates south during the dry season. In Mali, the species occurs exclusively during the rainy season. It eats small seeds from grass and herbs. The breeding season is not tied to any season. The nest is built low in trees or bushes and is a flat, loosely erected platform made of twigs and small roots. Steel-spot pigeons occasionally use the abandoned nests of other bird species. The clutch consists of two white eggs. The breeding season is 13 days. Both parent birds breed. The young are fledged after 13 to 14 days. They are tolerated in the territory of the adult birds until they wear their adult plumage.
supporting documents
Individual evidence
literature
- David Gibbs, Eustace Barnes and John Cox: Pigeons and Doves - A Guide to the Pigeons and Doves of the World . Pica Press, Sussex 2001, ISBN 90-74345-26-3 .
- Alois Münst and Josef Wolters: Tauben - The species of wild pigeons , 2nd expanded and revised edition, Verlag Karin Wolters, Bottrop 1999, ISBN 3-9801504-9-6 .
- Gerhard Rösler: The wild pigeons of the earth - free living, keeping and breeding . M. & H. Schaper Verlag, Alfeld-Hannover 1996, ISBN 3-7944-0184-0 .
Web links
- Turtur afer inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved September 22, 2013.