Ruddy Ground Dove Life History

Habitat

Ruddy Ground Doves use open and humid habitats such as wetlands, riparian forest, logged areas, cultivated fields, and gardens.

Food

Ruddy Ground Doves eat mainly small grass seeds. They forage on bare ground in open areas, pecking seeds off the ground.

Nesting

Nest Placement

Nest is typically 1–2 meters (3–6.5 feet) above the ground in the fork of a tree or shrub surrounded by dense vegetation.

Nest Description

A sturdy, shallow cup made of straws, sticks, and roots. Both sexes build the nest, with one member of the pair delivering nesting material, one piece at a time, while the second bird sits on the nest and arranges the freshly delivered items.

Nesting Facts

Behavior

Ruddy Ground Doves are socially monogamous, with strong pair bonds. Pair members rest next to each other on branches and preen each other. When a pair meets near the nest, they bob their heads and twitch their wings in a recognition display. Nonbreeding birds are very social, forming single-species flocks that can exceed 200 individuals. This species also joins mixed-species flocks with other small doves, including Inca Dove, Common Ground Dove, and Plain-breasted Ground Dove.

Conservation

The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists Ruddy Ground Dove’s conservation status as Least Concern, due to an extremely large range, an increasing population trend, and extremely large population size (estimated at 5–50 million mature individuals).

Credits

BirdLife International. 2020. Columbina talpacoti. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T22690784A139730677. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22690784A139730677.en.

Gwynne, J. A., R. S. Ridgely, G. Tudor, and M. Argel (2010). Birds of Brazil: the Pantanal and Cerrado. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, USA.

Hart, J. A. (2020). Ruddy Ground Dove (Columbina talpacoti), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.rugdov.01

Hilty, S. L., and W. L. Brown (1986). A Guide to the Birds of Colombia. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, USA.

Howell, S. N. G., and S. Webb (1995). A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America. Oxford University Press, New York, New York, USA.

Schulenberg, T. S., D. F. Stotz, D. F. Lane, J. P. O’Neill, and T. A. Parker (2010). Birds of Peru. Revised and updated edition. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA.

Stiles, F. G., and A. F. Skutch (1989). A Guide to the Birds of Costa Rica. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, USA.

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