- Geotrygon saphirina
Identification
22–26 cm (8¾-10 in)
- White forehead, throat and under the eye
- Purplish-black malar stripe
- Dark bluish-grey crown turning bronzy-green on nap
- Bronzed hindneck, with iridescent green, gold and purplish-pink
- Pale grey underparts
Distribution
[[South America: found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil
Taxonomy
Purple Quail-Dove was formerly included in this species.
Subspecies
Two subspecies accepted[1]:
- G. s saphirina: from eastern Ecuador to southeast Peru and in adjacent extreme western Amazonian Brazil
- G. s rothschildi: in southeast Peru (Marcapata Valley)
Habitat
They are found in the undergrowth of both lowland and montane evergreen forests. Often hilly areas, near streams and second growth.
Behaviour
Diet
Little is known. They probably eat seeds.
Breeding
They construct a platform nest from rootlets and sticks and placed close to a stream. Their clutch appears to consist of 1 or 2 eggs. There is little more information available.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Baptista, L.F., P.W. Trail, H.M. Horblit, G. M. Kirwan, P. F. D. Boesman, and E. F. J. Garcia (2020). Sapphire Quail-Dove (Geotrygon saphirina), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.sapqud2.01
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Sapphire Quail-Dove. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 3 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Sapphire_Quail-Dove
