From Opus

Alternative names: Black-billed Blue-spotted Wood Dove; Abyssinian Wood Dove

Photo by Steve G
Makasutu forest, the Gambia

Turtur abyssinicus

[edit] Identification

20 cm

• Whitish forehead
• Bluish grey crown and nape
• Pale grey brown hindneck, mantle, scapulars wing shields and upper back
• Wing shields have dark metallic blue patches
• Back and mantle is separated from the paler rump and uppertail coverts by two blackish bands enclosing a pale whitish fawn area
• Grey pink breast, chest, belly and flanks
• Longest undertail coverts black, others are white
• Dark brown eyes
• Black stripe from front of eye to bill
  

Sexes similar
Juvenile - barred buff/rust plumage

[edit] Similar Species

Distinguished from the similar Blue-spotted Wood-Dove by its uniform black bill with a black loral line, grey body plumage with a faint blue head-cap and a few large black (not blue) spots on the wing coverts.

[edit] Distribution

Southern Mauritania and Senegambia east to Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria, northern Cameroon, northern Central African Republic to Ethiopia, Eritrea, northern Uganda and north-east Kenya.

[edit] Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species.^[1]

[edit] Habitat

Arid, semi-arid and open savanna woodlands and scrub close to wells, ponds and marshes.

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] Breeding

The two dark cream buff to brownish cream eggs are incubated for 13-15 days; the young fledging 15 to 17 days later.

[edit] Diet

The diet includes grass and other small seeds.

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
2. International Dove Society

• List of references

[edit] External Links