Vinaceous Dove
Encyclopedia
The Vinaceous Dove is a pigeon
which is a widespread resident breeding bird in a belt across Africa
just south of the Sahara Desert.
This species is abundant in scrub and savanna
h. It builds a stick nest in a tree, often an acacia
, and lays two white egg
s. Its flight is quick, with the regular beats and an occasional sharp flick of the wings which are characteristic of pigeons in general.
Vinaceous Dove is a small, stocky pigeon, typically 25 cm in length. Its back, wings and tail are pale brown. When flying, it shows a blackish underwing. The head and the underparts are pale pinkish-grey, and there is a black hind neck patch edged with white. The legs are red, and there is white in the tail. Sexes are similar, but juveniles are duller than adults. The call is a fast coo-cu-cu-coo.
Vinaceous Doves eat grass seeds, grains and other vegetation. They are quite terrestrial, and usually forage on the ground.
Unlike several other species in this genus, they are very gregarious and often feed in large group frequently with other doves.
Dove
Pigeons and doves constitute the bird family Columbidae within the order Columbiformes, which include some 300 species of near passerines. In general terms "dove" and "pigeon" are used somewhat interchangeably...
which is a widespread resident breeding bird in a belt across Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
just south of the Sahara Desert.
This species is abundant in scrub and savanna
Savanna
A savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses.Some...
h. It builds a stick nest in a tree, often an acacia
Acacia
Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not...
, and lays two white egg
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
s. Its flight is quick, with the regular beats and an occasional sharp flick of the wings which are characteristic of pigeons in general.
Vinaceous Dove is a small, stocky pigeon, typically 25 cm in length. Its back, wings and tail are pale brown. When flying, it shows a blackish underwing. The head and the underparts are pale pinkish-grey, and there is a black hind neck patch edged with white. The legs are red, and there is white in the tail. Sexes are similar, but juveniles are duller than adults. The call is a fast coo-cu-cu-coo.
Vinaceous Doves eat grass seeds, grains and other vegetation. They are quite terrestrial, and usually forage on the ground.
Unlike several other species in this genus, they are very gregarious and often feed in large group frequently with other doves.