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Inca
Dove
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inca_dove
The
Inca Dove (Scardafella inca) is a small New World dove; it might
belong to the genus Columbina. It ranges from the southwestern United
States and Mexico through Central America to Costa Rica; the Inca
Dove only lives on the Pacific side of Central America. Despite
being named after the Inca Empire, this species does not occur in
any of the lands that constituted that region. Inca Doves are common
to abundant within their range and they are expanding their range
north and south.
Inca
Doves reach a length of 16.5 cm (6.5-8.25 in) and weigh 47-48 g
(1.6 oz). They are slender, with a gray-brown body covered in feathers
that resemble a scaled pattern. The tail is long and square, edged
with white feathers that may flare out in flight. In flight, the
underwing is reddish, like other ground doves, and on takeoff, the
wings produce a distinctive, quiet rattling noise.
This
is a terrestrial species which occurs in flocks in open areas including
scrub and cultivation. It will feed in urban areas, eating grass
seeds and taking advantage of the ready availability of water from
agricultural and suburban irrigation. The song, a forceful cooing
rendered variously as "cowl-coo" or "POO-pup",
may be given from a tree, wire, or other open, high perch such as
a television aerial.
During
winter, they roost in communal huddles in a pyramid formation that
helps them conserve heat. These pyramids can contain up to 12 birds.
The
flimsy twig nest is built 1-8 m high in a tree, often a thorny species,
and two white eggs are the normal clutch.
Photos
from: Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia
Common Ground Dove
Inca Dove
Oct.
08
~ 3 months old ~
Rocky is full grown and isn't much bigger than a budgie!
Rocky gets all puffy when he settles down for a nap!
Unlike cockatiels, who like their elbow {wing} room, inca doves
like to be as close as possible to each other... Rocky found this
a little difficult, because the cocktails would nip at him to move
away. However, there is one little bird who liked his company and
would let Rocky snuggle up as close as he wanted all night long!
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