From Opus

Photo by Juan Tassara

Metriopelia melanoptera

[edit] Identification

Brown body, black wings, bright red eye ring, bright yellow orange crescent below eye, 2 white shoulder patches, pale pink throat and belly, dark legs and feet.
Sexes similar.

[edit] Distribution

South-west Colombia, Peru, Chile, extreme west of Argentina to Tierra del Fuego.

[edit] Taxonomy

There are 2 subspecies:

• M. m. melanoptera: Andes of Peru to southern Argentina, southern Chile and Tierra del Fuego
• M. m. saturatior: Andes of south-western Colombia and Ecuador

[edit] Habitat

Dry scrub above 2,000m.

[edit] Behaviour

2 eggs are laid; both parents incubate the eggs for 14-15 days. The young fledge at two weeks.

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist.

• List of references

[edit] External Links