White-throated Quail-Dove

Overview

The white-throated quail-dove (Zentrygon frenata) is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, with a population that is suspected to be stable though not quantified.

Identification

• Length of 30 to 34 cm, making it one of the largest quail-doves.
• In the nominate subspecies, the male features a blue-grey crown, deep purple mantle, and reddish-brown upperparts, with a white throat and grey breast.
• Song is a single, monotonous, low-pitched note described as 'whoOOo'.

Habitat

Found in humid evergreen montane forest in the Andes, typically between 900 and 3,000 m, but sometimes as low as 700 m. The range extends from northern Peru to central Bolivia, with subspecies distributed across Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, and Ecuador.

Diet

The white-throated quail-dove forages on the ground, usually alone but occasionally in groups of one or two other birds. Its specific diet has not been documented.

Did you know?

Essentially nothing is known about the species' breeding biology, aside from observations of platform nests made of vegetation or dry twigs placed between 2 and 4 m above the ground.