Alternative names: White-faced Dove; Yungas Dove
- Leptotila megalura
Identification
29-32 cm (11-13 in).
- Darker and more ruddy upperparts than White-tipped Dove
- White feathers surrounding eye
- Upper mantle and hindneck suffused with purple gloss (bronze in White-tipped dove)
- Less pronounced tail graduation and narrower white terminal bar
- Central tail feathers browner and less grey
- Less extensive rufous on underwing, becoming drab grey at rear edge
Sexes similar, juveniles duller and with wing-coverts slightly scaled in appearance.
Similar Species
Very similar to White-tipped Dove
Distribution
Andes of Bolivia (La Paz, Cochabamba, Santa Cruz, Chuquisaca, Tarija) and northwest Argentina (Jujuy, Salta, Catamarca, Tucumán, La Rioja).
Uncommon in most of its range. Poorly known and probably sometimes confused with White-tipped Dove.
Andes in N, E & S Bolivia (La Paz, Cochabamba, Santa Cruz, Chuquisaca, Tarija) and NW Argentina (Jujuy, Salta, Catamarca, Tucumán, La Rioja).
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species.
Birds from the southern population are sometimes separated as distinctive subspecies, saturata.
Habitat
Moist montanes including coppice, alder woods and second growth. Sometimes in cultivated areas.
Occurs from 900 to 2800 m.
Behaviour
Diet
No information. Usually seen foraging singly or in small groups.
Breeding
Poorly known. Nests in trees and bushes. Lays 2 eggs.
Movements
Presumably a sedentary species.
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/
- Gill, F and D Donsker (Eds). 2015. IOC World Bird Names (version 5.2). Available at http://www.worldbirdnames.org/.
- Baptista, L.F., Trail, P.W., Horblit, H.M., Boesman, P. & Kirwan, G.M. (2020). Yungas Dove (Leptotila megalura). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/54230 on 7 March 2020)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Large-tailed Dove. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 21 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Large-tailed_Dove
