The cinnamon ground dove (Gallicolumba rufigula) also known as golden-heart dove, red-throated ground dove or golden-heart pigeon is a species of ground-dwelling dove in the genus Gallicolumba.

Cinnamon ground dove
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Columbiformes
Family: Columbidae
Genus: Gallicolumba
Species:
G. rufigula
Binomial name
Gallicolumba rufigula
(Pucheran, 1853)
A cinnamon ground dove in a nest.
A cinnamon ground dove perched on a rock.

It is native to New Guinea.

Description

edit

The Cinnamon ground dove is around 22–24 cm long and can weigh anywhere from 121-137g. It has a red 'blushing' mark on its head with a light brown, grey colour covering its over-body it has a yellow marking on its belly which is surrounded by white. Some have blue markings on their heads and body. This Medium-sized ground dove, mostly inhabitant of lowland forests and foothills. Their reddish back and wings punctuated by pale grey-blue diagonal motifs that truly made them much different than other birds in the same species.

Voice

edit

A faint call sounding like a trill, the bird also has a soft purring sound that lasts for a few seconds.

Diet

edit

The cinnamon ground dove's diet consists mainly of insects but also feeds on fallen fruits, seeds and even ground worms. It's way of scavanging is through the leaf litter that lies on the ground to find most of its food. This particular bird relies heavily on foods that are mostly found on the ground.

Subspecies

edit
 
Gallicolumba rufigula rufigula
  • Gallicolumba rufigula alaris
  • Gallicolumba rufigula helviventris
  • Gallicolumba rufigula orientalis
  • Gallicolumba rufigula rufigula
  • Gallicolumba rufigula septentrionalis

Further reading

edit
  • Bruce M. Beehler, Thane K. Pratt: Birds of New Guinea; Distribution, Taxonomy, and Systematics. Princeton University Press, Princeton 2016, ISBN 978-0-691-16424-3.
  • David Gibbs, Eustace Barnes, John Cox: Pigeons and Doves. A Guide to the Pigeons and Doves of the World. Pica Press, Sussex 2001, ISBN 90-74345-26-3.
  • Alois Münst und Josef Wolters: Tauben – Die Arten der Wildtauben, 2. erweiterte und überarbeitete Auflage, Verlag Karin Wolters, Bottrop 1999, ISBN 3-9801504-9-6.
  • Gerhard Rösler: Die Wildtauben der Erde – Freileben, Haltung und Zucht. Verlag M. & H. Schaper, Alfeld-Hannover 1996, ISBN 3-7944-0184-0.

References

edit
  1. ^ BirdLife International (2018). "Gallicolumba rufigula". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T22691009A130176182. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22691009A130176182.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.

[1]

edit