Tolima Dove

Overview

The Tolima dove (Leptotila conoveri) is a species of bird in the family Columbidae endemic to Colombia. It is currently classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN due to its restricted range and fragmented population.

Identification

• Measures 22.5 to 25 cm in length with a blue-gray to dark gray crown and a reddish hindneck featuring a violet gloss.
• Upper mantle is reddish gray with iridescent violet, while the rest of the upperparts are dark gray with purple iridescence.
• Wings are browner than the body, and the tail is slaty with white tips on the outer feathers.
• Throat is white, contrasting with a reddish pink breast that has a sharp division from the buff lower breast and belly.
• Song consists of a single slightly over-slurred note described as "wooOOOooo" with clear emphasis in the middle.

Habitat

Primarily inhabits the interior and edges of humid subtropical forest in Colombia's central and eastern Andes between 1,200 and 2,500 m elevation. Originally thought to be limited to Tolima and Huila Departments, it was also discovered in Cundinamarca in 2014. In the Combeima River canyon, it is found in disturbed areas including coffee plantations and near human habitation.

Diet

Reported to feed mainly on seeds of Bocconia frutescens, though no other details regarding its diet or foraging habits are currently known.

Did you know?

Although originally assessed as Threatened and later Endangered, its status was downgraded to Near Threatened in 2020, likely because the species appears to adapt well to secondary forest and coffee plantations despite habitat loss.