Common Ground Dove
Columbina passerina

f8 @ 1/800s, ISO:2000, Nikon D3S w 500mm


\"Common Ground Dove,\" Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The common ground dove is a small bird that inhabits the southern United States, parts of Central America, the Caribbean and northern South America. The common ground dove is considered to be the smallest dove that inhabits the United States. As its name suggests, the bird spends the majority of its time on the ground walking but still has the ability to fly. The common ground dove is North America\'s smallest dove and is one of the world\'s smallest by mass. This species ranges from 15–18 cm (5.9–7.1 in) in length, spans 27 cm (11 in) across the wings and weighs 26–40 g (0.92–1.41 oz). The common ground dove has a yellow beak with a black tip. Feathers surrounding the beak are pink in color. The feathers on the head and the upper breast have a scale like appearance. The tail feathers are very short and similar color to the back. The plumage on the back of the bird is brown the coverts and wing feathers are also brown but have black spotting on them. The common ground dove has chestnut primaries and wing borders, which can only been seen when the bird is flying. The common ground dove shows some sexual dimorphism in their plumage. The males have slate gray feathers on the top of their heads and pink-gray coloration on their belly. Females on the other hand are more gray than their male counterparts and are more evenly colored.
Laguna Seca Ranch, Edinburg, Texas
 
01/23/2016