Common Ground Dove Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesCommon Ground Dove
Tiny dove with a small head and short tail. Pinkish brown underparts with grayish head and scaled pattern on neck and breast. Often has pink or red base of bill.
© Volker Hesse / Macaulay LibraryFlorida, April 10, 2014Tiny dove with a small head and a short, square-tipped tail. Head is grayish; back and wings are brown with dark spots in the wings.
© Alex Lamoreaux / Macaulay LibraryOlancho, January 19, 2017A small plump dove often seen on the ground foraging for seeds.
© Larry Arbanas / Macaulay LibrarySonora, May 19, 2006Not all videos have sound
Tiny dove with a small head and a short bill. Extensive scaled pattern on neck and breast. Head is paler than rest of body.
© Cullen Hanks / Macaulay LibraryUpper Takutu-Upper Essequibo, January 02, 2017Tiny dove with a short tail. In flight shows chestnut patches in the wing and dark sides of the tail with small white corners.
© Don Danko / Macaulay LibraryAruba, February 24, 2020Flushes quickly into flight, flashing rusty-colored underwings.
© Bret Whitney / Macaulay LibraryPará, July 03, 2009Not all videos have sound
Outer wing feathers are bright rufous above and below.
© Laura Keene / Macaulay LibraryTexas, October 10, 2020Degree of scaling varies among individuals.
© Ichi Wildlife Tours / Macaulay LibraryYucatán, June 27, 2016Common Ground Doves are at home in open woodlands, desert areas as well as urban landscapes. Often perches in trees when not foraging.
© Larry Arbanas / Macaulay LibrarySonora, May 19, 2006Not all videos have sound
Forages on bare ground, usually keeping close to cover, in grasslands, scrubby areas, desert washes, and open woodlands. Flushes with a whirring sound from the wings.
© Liam Wolff / Macaulay LibraryTexas, May 18, 2016Walks on the ground with a nod of its head at every step. This video has no audio.
© Jay McGowan / Macaulay LibraryVargas, January 01, 2013Not all videos have sound
Similar SpeciesMourning Dove
Adult
Mourning Doves are much larger than Common Ground Doves and have a long, tapered tail scalloped in white.
© Ryan Schain / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, April 08, 2014Similar SpeciesInca Dove
Adult/immature
Inca Doves are extensively scaled on the belly, back, and wings; Common Ground Doves have fine scaling only on the neck and breast. Inca Doves also have longer tails that flash white in flight unlike Common Ground Doves.
© Jeffrey Moore / Macaulay LibraryTexas, April 12, 2014Rotate Your Device to Better Compare
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