Mourning turtle dove
| Mourning turtle dove | ||||||||||
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Black turtle dove ( Streptopelia lugens ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Streptopelia lugens | ||||||||||
| ( Rüppell , 1837) |
The black turtle dove ( Streptopelia lugens ) is a monotypical pigeon species native to eastern Africa and the southwest of the Arabian Peninsula . The species is common and is classified as not endangered by the IUCN .
Appearance
The turtle pigeon reaches a body length of 28 to 31 centimeters. It is about the size of a laughing dove . The tail accounts for 10.7 to 12.5 centimeters of the total body length. There is only a slight gender dimorphism . The female is only slightly more dull in color than the male.
The head of the mourning turtle pigeon is ash gray. A narrow, longitudinally interrupted band of brown-black feathers runs on the sides of the neck and on the back of the neck. They go into a dark ash brown coat and back. The elytra are also dark ash brown, but have pale gray to chestnut brown edges. The flight feathers are black-gray with pale gray lines. The rump is gray-brown. The upper tail-coverts and the central control feathers are dark brown. The outer tail-feathers are blackish with broad white tips. The front breast is dark gray and turns gray-pink on the lower breast. The belly and the underside of the tail are dark gray. The iris is orange-brown. The orbital ring is reddish purple. The beak is black, the feet are maroon.
Young birds are a little more dull in color than adult birds and have isabel-colored fringes on the wing covers.
Possible confusion
The turtle dove also occurs in the distribution area of the turtledove . It can be found especially in the winter months in the northern distribution area of the black turtle dove.
The turtle dove is significantly slimmer and has lighter plumage. The wing covers have noticeable reddish brown edges.
distribution and habitat
The black turtle dove has a disjoint distribution area on the Arabian Peninsula and in East Africa. It occurs in Saudi Arabia and Yemen at altitudes between 1000 and 2800 meters above sea level. In Africa it inhabits the highlands in the west and south-east of Ethiopia. It is also found in northwest Somalia and southeast Sudan, as well as northern Uganda. It is also spread from eastern Uganda over the Kenyan highlands to northern Tanzania. It also occurs from southwest Uganda along the East African Rift to Malawi and eastern Zambia.
The turtle dove is very adaptable and inhabits a number of different habitats. This includes pine plantations, heathland and open agricultural land. However, it prefers to colonize mountain forests. It can also be observed regularly in urban areas, when they have a larger tree population.
Way of life
During the breeding season, the black turtle pigeon can be found singly or in pairs. Outside of the breeding season, larger flocks gather, especially in places with a plentiful supply of food.
The mourning turtle pigeon always looks for food on the ground. It has a large food spectrum, but prefers seeds. In the Kenyan highlands, there is a regular gathering of people looking for food on the sunflower fields. But it also eats rhizomes, berries that have fallen on the ground and sprouts.
The breeding season in East Africa falls from December to June. In Ethiopia it broods every month except July and August. The nest is a pigeon-typical platform made of small branches, which is laid out with some roots and grass. The nest is usually in a small tree or bush, two to seven meters above the ground. The clutch usually consists of two eggs. They are incubated for 20 days. The young pigeons are feathered 10 days after hatching, but remain in the nest for another ten days until they are fully fledged.
literature
- David Gibbs, Eustace Barnes, 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, Josef Wolters: Pigeons - The types 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
- Streptopelia lugens in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2012. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2012. Accessed December 2, 2016th
Individual evidence
- ↑ Streptopelia lugens in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2012. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2012. Accessed December 2, 2016th
- ↑ Gibbs, Barnes and Cox: Pigeons and Doves , p. 245.
- ↑ a b Gibbs, Barnes and Cox: Pigeons and Doves , p. 244.