Purplish-backed Quail-Dove

Overview

The purplish-backed quail-dove (Zentrygon lawrencii) is a species of bird in the family Columbidae, native to Costa Rica and Panama. Classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, it remains fairly common but faces potential threats from ongoing habitat destruction.

Identification

• Males measure 26 to 27 cm in length, while females are approximately 25 cm, with an average weight of about 220 g.
• Adults feature a dull purple mantle contrasting with olive-brown to blackish-brown upperparts, a grayish-white forehead, and a slate gray neck and breast.
• The face and throat are white, marked by a black malar line and a line extending from the bill to the eye, with a brownish-orange to red eye surrounded by bare magenta skin and magenta legs.
• The species emits a three-syllable song, 'pum-wha-huUUu', with a distinct emphasis on the last syllable, which is the component most often heard at a distance.

Habitat

This species is resident from the Cordillera de Guanacaste in northern Costa Rica southeast to central Panama, with scattered populations extending to Darién Province. It inhabits cool, wet, dense montane forest at elevations ranging from 400 to 800 m on the Caribbean slope, reaching as high as 2,600 m in other areas.

Diet

The purplish-backed quail-dove forages on the ground, usually singly or in pairs, consuming a diet of fruit, seeds, insects, and worms. When threatened, it typically walks or runs away from danger rather than flying, though it may occasionally fly to an elevated perch.

Did you know?

The bird lays a single egg in a bulky but loose nest constructed as a shallow bowl of sticks lined with finer materials, placed in dense vegetation near the ground.