Zebra Dove | |
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![]() adult | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Columbiformes |
Family: | Columbidae |
Genus: | Geopelia |
Species: | G. striata |
The Zebra Dove (Geopelia striata), also known as the Barred Ground Dove or Barred Dove, is a small dove native to the Malay Peninsula (north to southeastern Myanmar), Sumatra, Java, and Bali, but due to their close association with human development and popularity in captivity, the Zebra Dove has made it to some of the most remote islands in the Pacific.
Taxonomy[]
In 1743, English naturalist George Edwards described and illustrated the Zebra Dove in his A Natural History of Uncommon Birds. His drawing was based off a live specimen at the home of admiral Charles Wager in Parsons Green near London. Edwards was told that the dove had been brought from the East Indies. When in 1766 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the twelfth edition, he included the Zebra Dove coined under the binomial name Columba striata. He cited Edwards's work. The type locality has been restricted to the island of Java in Indonesia. The species is now placed in the genus Geopelia that was introduced by the English naturalist William John Swainson in 1837. The genus name is derived from the Greek word for "ground" or "earth", referring to the dove's foraging habits, while the specific name striata is from the Latin word striatus, meaning "striated", sa is the plumage of this bird. The zebra dove is monotypic - no subspecies are recognised.
The Zebra Dove's close relatives, the Peaceful Dove of Australia and New Guinea and the Barred Dove of eastern Indonesia were classified as subspecies of the Zebra Dove until recently. The names Peaceful Dove and Barred Dove were often applied to the whole species.
Appearance[]
The Zebra Dove is a small, slender dove measuring 20-22 cm (7.8-8.6 in) in length, weighing 72 g (2.53 oz), and have a wingspan of 24–26 cm (9.4-10.2 in). The face and bill are a greyish color, while the nape and upperparts are tan to brown in color. A cyan blue eyering that evolves into a loral and postocular stripe surrounds the eye, of which has an brown pupil and sclera and a blue iris. The neck is barred black and white, the rounded wings are barred black, the undertail coverts are white, and the belly is a peach color. The rounded tail is long and narrow when folded, solid brown on top and gray-brown on the bottom with white tips. The feet are pink with darker stripes.
Juveniles are duller and paler than adults.
Habitat and Distribution[]
The Zebra Dove is a nonmigratory species native to Southern Thailand, Tenasserim, Peninsular Malaysia, and Singapore to the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Java. It may also be native to Borneo, Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, and the Philippine islands. Feral populations exist in central Thailand, Laos, Borneo, Sulawesi, Hawaii (introduced in 1922), Tahiti (1950), New Caledonia, the Seychelles, the Chagos Archipelago (1960), Mauritius (before 1768), Réunion, and Saint Helena.
The Zebra Dove frequents open areas such as scrub, farmland, lawns, gardens, parks, and outdoor restauraunts in lowland areas. It is among the most abundant bird species in some places including Hawaii and the Seychelles.
Life History[]
Diet and Feeding[]
Zebra Doves consume the seeds from small grasses or weeds, insects, and human food leftover from outdoor tables. They prefer to forage on bare ground, short grass or on roads, scurrying about in a rodent-like movement. This dove forages in pairs or alone, uncharacteristic of most other doves.
Breeding and Nesting[]
In its native range, nesting season spans from September to June. Males will perform a courtship display where they bow and coo while raising and spreading the tail. Once paired up, the female will search for a nesting site, and once found, she will make gutteral sounds from the site to beckon the male to help in its construction. The nest is a flimsy platform of leaves and grass blades in a tree, bush, ground, or even on window ledges. One to two white eggs are laid and incubated by both parents for 13 to 18 days. Both parents feed their young "crop milk" after hatching. Young can leave the nest within two weeks and can fly well after three weeks.
In the span of their lengthy breeding season, pairs can raise up to 5 broods a year.
Flight[]
Their flight is swift, strong, and direct.
Vocalizations[]
The most common call of the Zebra Dove is a series of soft, staccato "coo"s. The voice of this bird had lead to it becoming a popular pet and contestant in cooing competitions in Thailand and Indonesia. Their voices are so appretiated that their names in their native range are onomatopoeic to their calls.
Conservation[]
As of 2016, the Zebra Dove has been evaluated as Least Concerned by the IUCN. It is currently facing pressure from trapping for the pet trade in its native range, but remains common across most of its range.
Trivia[]
- Old feathers of the Zebra Dove can disintegrate into powder to clean the dove's other feathers.
References[]
Motard, Denise. "ZEBRA DOVE." BIRDS OF HAWAII, Blogger, www.birdsofhawaii.info/.
"Zebra Dove." birdfinding.info, birdfinding.info. Accessed 31 Aug. 2022.
"Zebra Dove." Whatbird.com, Mitch Waite Group, identify.whatbird.com. Accessed
31 Aug. 2022.
"Zebra dove." Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 15 Jan. 2001, en.wikipedia.org.
Accessed 31 Aug. 2022.