Scaled Dove

Overview

The scaled dove (Columbina squammata), also known as scaly dove, Ridgway's dove, mottled dove, and South American zebra dove, is a bird species found across parts of South America and the Caribbean. It is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Identification

• Measures between 18 and 22 centimetres in length and weighs between 48 and 60 grams.
• Features grayish-brown upper parts, a pinkish-gray face and chest, and a white throat.
• Displays a distinctive 'scaly' appearance caused by dark feather edges, with white spots on closed wings and a white band on the tail in flight.
• Has dark eyes, pink legs, and a gray beak.

Habitat

Found in Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, Colombia, French Guiana, Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, and Uruguay. Its natural habitats include subtropical or tropical dry and moist shrubland, seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland, and heavily degraded former forest. It typically walks in pairs or small groups along the edges of forests, savannahs, and orchards, avoiding both very open and very closed environments.

Diet

Feeds on the ground, walking with its belly almost dragging on the surface. The tree species Trema micrantha is one of its favourite fruit sources. When startled, it flies sharply to nearby trees for cover.

Did you know?

In southeastern Brazil, the species is often referred to as 'rattlesnake' (rolinha-cascavel) because its plumage pattern resembles the snake's scales and the sound of its flight mimics the rattle of local rattlesnakes.