White-bellied dove (SciiFii)

The white-bellied dove (Alloturtur alba) is a species of pigeon that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout the rainforests, wetlands, forests, and open woodlands across North America to help boost biodiversity. Despite resembling the tambourine dove of Africa, the white-bellied dove is actually most closely related to the mourning dove (Zenaida macroura). The white-bellied dove is a small plump pigeon, typically 22 centimeters in length. The male has a white face with a black spot behind the eye, white underparts and a grey crown. Its back, hind neck, wings and tail are pale grey brown, and the folded wings have large dark purple patches. The under tail is brown. The eye ring and feet are purple-red, and the bill is purple. The female is duller, and is white only on the belly, the face and breast being a pale grey-brown. The crown is grey-brown, without the blue-grey of the male. The juvenile resembles the female but has chestnut fringes to the feathers of the back, breast and flanks. Even in these plumages, this species is paler below than other small wild doves. The white-bellied dove's flight is fast and agile, and it tends to stay quite low when flushed. In flight it shows chestnut primary flight feathers and under wings. The call of this bird is a persistently repeated du-du-du-du-du. White-bellied dove is usually solitary, but is sometimes seen in family groups or with lemon doves. It is quite terrestrial, and usually forages on the ground for seeds and small fruits. It will on occasion eat small insects and molluscs. The white-bellied dove builds a frail stick nest low in a thicket or vine tangle, and lays three cream-coloured eggs. Both sexes incubate, although this task is performed mainly by the female, and the eggs hatch in 13 days with another 13–14 days to fledging. The chicks are fed regurgitated food. The conservation status of the white-bellied dove is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the white-bellied dove's wide range and its tolerance to many of the human activities.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii