Peaceful Dove
Encyclopedia
The Peaceful Dove is a pigeon native to Australia
and New Guinea
. It 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.
s. 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 feather
s 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!".
s, watercourse
s, railyards and on the edge of rainforest
s. When not found on the ground
feeding, they can 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.
s are built on horizontal branches of trees. Two white eggs are laid. The doves are very aggressive to other birds when breeding.
, southern Victoria
and south western Australia (from the Pilbara, Western Australia
to the Nullarbor, South 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
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
. It is closely related to the Zebra Dove
Zebra Dove
The Zebra Dove Geopelia striata, also known as Barred Ground Dove, is a bird of the dove family Columbidae, native to South-east Asia. It is closely related to the Peaceful Dove of Australia and New Guinea and the Barred Dove of eastern Indonesia...
of south-east Asia and the Barred Dove
Barred Dove
The Barred Dove, is a small dove which 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....
of eastern Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. Until recently, the three were classed as a single species, Geopelia striata, known as Peaceful Dove or Zebra Dove.
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 wingWing
A wing is an appendage with a surface that produces lift for flight or propulsion through the atmosphere, or through another gaseous or liquid fluid...
s. Thin striations of black appear around the neck and nape
Nape
The nape is the back of the neck. In technical anatomical/medical terminology, the nape is referred to by the word nucha, which also gives the adjective corresponding to "nape" in English, "nuchal"....
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
Beak
The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which is used for eating and for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, courtship and feeding young...
/cere
Cère
The Cère is a long river in south-western France, left tributary of the Dordogne River. Its source is in the south-western Massif Central, near the mountain Plomb du Cantal...
. The juveniles
Juvenile (organism)
A juvenile is an individual organism that has not yet reached its adult form, sexual maturity or size. Juveniles sometimes look very different from the adult form, particularly in terms of their colour...
are paler and less striated. They also have a duller eye ring. The nape is similar to that of the Bar-shouldered dove
Bar-shouldered Dove
The Bar-shouldered Dove is native to Australia.It is protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974. It is a medium sized pigeon varying in size from 26 to 30 centimetres...
in that the nape feather
Feather
Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds and some non-avian theropod dinosaurs. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates, and indeed a premier example of a complex evolutionary novelty. They...
s 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, woodlandWoodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
s, watercourse
Watercourse
A watercourse is any flowing body of water. These include rivers, streams, anabranches, and so forth.-See also:* physical geography* Environmental flow* Waterway* Hydrology* Wadi-External links:...
s, railyards and on the edge of rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
s. When not found on the ground
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
feeding, they can found in trees roosting.
The doves fly
Flight
Flight is the process by which an object moves either through an atmosphere or beyond it by generating lift or propulsive thrust, or aerostatically using buoyancy, or by simple ballistic movement....
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. NestNest
A nest is a place of refuge to hold an animal's eggs or provide a place to live or raise offspring. They are usually made of some organic material such as twigs, grass, and leaves; or may simply be a depression in the ground, or a hole in a tree, rock or building...
s 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 TasmaniaTasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, southern Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
and south western Australia (from the Pilbara, Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
to the Nullarbor, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
). Unfortunately, the doves' range is reducing due to competition with the introduced Spotted Turtle Dove
Spotted Dove
The Spotted Dove , also known as the Spotted Turtle Dove, is a pigeon which is a resident breeding bird in the Indian Subcontinent including India, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka east to southern Tibet and Southeast Asia...
. 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
Aru Islands
The Aru Islands are a group of about ninety-five low-lying islands in the Maluku province of eastern Indonesia. They also form a regency of Indonesia.-Geography:...
.
External links
- Peaceful Dove, Avibase
- Peaceful Dove, Rainforest-Australia