Pacific Dove
Encyclopedia
The West Peruvian Dove is also known as the Pacific Dove, and was first described in 1843 by the Swiss naturalist Johann Jakob Baron von Tschudi
. It is classified as LC (i.e. "Least Concern") on the IUCN Red List
.
It is closely related to the North American White-winged Dove
(Zenaida asiatica), but is now considered a separate species by ornithologists due to genetic and behavioral differences (Johnson & Clayton, 2000). Specimens are brownish-gray above and gray below, with a bold white wing patch that appears as a brilliant white crescent in flight and is also visible at rest. Adults have a bright blue (almost indigo), featherless patch of skin around each eye. The legs and feet of adults are red, but unlike Z. asiatica, their eyes are brown.
Both sexes are similar, but juveniles have a lighter color than adults. They have no blue eye ring and their legs and feet are brownish-pink.
to northern Chile
. Contrary to unscientific internet sources, the species is not found on San Andrés
. This species has a large range, with an estimated global Extent of Occurrence of 187,000 km. Its global population has not been estimated, but is believed to be large as the species is described as 'common' in at least parts of its range. Global population trends have not been quantified, but the species is not believed to approach the thresholds for the population decline criterion of the IUCN Red List (i.e. declining more than 30% in ten years or three generations). For these reasons, the species is evaluated as Least Concern. (IUCN Red List
).
, due to their melodious hoo-hoo-WOO... hoo-hoo-WOO-hoo. It seems native Spanish speakers interpret the dove's syncopated cooing as coo-coo-LEE.
Johann Jakob von Tschudi
Johann Jakob von Tschudi was a Swiss naturalist and explorer.Tschudi was born in Glarus, and studied natural sciences and medicine at the universities of Neuchâtel, Leiden and Paris. In 1838 he travelled to Peru, where he remained for five years exploring and collecting plants in the Andes...
. It is classified as LC (i.e. "Least Concern") on the IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
.
It is closely related to the North American White-winged Dove
White-winged Dove
The White-winged Dove is a dove whose native range extends from the south-western USA through Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. In recent years with increasing urbanization and backyard feeding, it has expanded throughout Texas and into Louisiana...
(Zenaida asiatica), but is now considered a separate species by ornithologists due to genetic and behavioral differences (Johnson & Clayton, 2000). Specimens are brownish-gray above and gray below, with a bold white wing patch that appears as a brilliant white crescent in flight and is also visible at rest. Adults have a bright blue (almost indigo), featherless patch of skin around each eye. The legs and feet of adults are red, but unlike Z. asiatica, their eyes are brown.
Both sexes are similar, but juveniles have a lighter color than adults. They have no blue eye ring and their legs and feet are brownish-pink.
Major habitats
- 1.5 Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Dry
- 1.6 Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist
- 11.6 Subtropical/Tropical Heavily Degraded Former Forest (IUCN Red List).
Range
Its native range extends along the Pacific coastal plains from southern EcuadorEcuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
to northern Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. Contrary to unscientific internet sources, the species is not found on San Andrés
San Andrés (island)
San Andrés is a coral island among the Colombian islands in the Caribbean Sea; it is the largest island of the southern group of islands. Together with the nearby island of Providencia and some smaller islands of the southern group of the Colombian archipelago, San Andrés forms the department of...
. This species has a large range, with an estimated global Extent of Occurrence of 187,000 km. Its global population has not been estimated, but is believed to be large as the species is described as 'common' in at least parts of its range. Global population trends have not been quantified, but the species is not believed to approach the thresholds for the population decline criterion of the IUCN Red List (i.e. declining more than 30% in ten years or three generations). For these reasons, the species is evaluated as Least Concern. (IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
).
Trivia
This dove's cooing calls have earned it the name Cuculí in PeruPeru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, due to their melodious hoo-hoo-WOO... hoo-hoo-WOO-hoo. It seems native Spanish speakers interpret the dove's syncopated cooing as coo-coo-LEE.