Caribbean Compass Yachting Magazine - May/June 2022

OUR ISLAND BIRDS BY BELA BROWN
Cooperation and Devotion:
The Common Ground Dove
The most distinct trait of the Common Ground Dove is its size — or rather, a lack
of it. One of the world’s smallest doves and among the smallest in the family
(Columbidae), this pint-sized beauty is only 15 to 18 centimetres (about six or seven
inches) in length and has an average body weight of 28 to 40 grams (1 to 1.4 ounces).
Not surprisingly, the bird’s genus name. Columbina, is Latin for “little dove,” while
the species name, passerina, derives from the Latin word “passerinus” meaning
sparrow-like, again as a reference to its small size.
Another key feature of this dove, also known as the Scaly-Breasted Dove, is the
area that extends from the throat to the lower breast, which appears scaly due to the
dark centers of its feathers.
Small and stocky, the Common Ground Dove is easily identified by pale greybrown
feathers and pale pink legs. Males are slightly brighter than the females with
bluish-grey crowns and a pinkish wash on their heads,
necks and chests, while the legs become bright pink
during the breeding season.
The Common Ground Dove belongs to a group of small
New World doves that forage on the ground and live in
pairs, rather than flocks. Its closest relative is the very
similar Plain-Breasted Ground Dove, followed by the
Ruddy Ground Dove. There are about 19 subspecies of the
Common Ground Dove, depending on the taxonomic
authority, with slight differences in size and colouration.
Additionally, there appear to be physical variations among
West Indian populations. For example, Common Ground
Doves in Grenada have a longer tarsus (the part of the leg
between the “knee” and the “ankle”) than those on any
other island.
Found in a combination of natural and human-altered
habitats, this species has the broadest range in the
genus Columbina: from California to Florida, to the West
Indies, Mexico, Central America and northern South
America. It inhabits open forest, forest edges, pastures,
scrubland, savanna, gardens, plantations, mangrove
forests and suburbs.
Common Ground Doves are abundant throughout the
Eastern Caribbean. Individuals are often seen moving
with tail cocked and head down, jabbing at seeds on the
ground. Unfortunately, they tend to feed on small, busy
roads and as a result 38 percent of deaths are caused by
collisions with cars and trucks.
Primarily a grain-eating species, the Common Ground
Dove feeds on tiny, scattered weed and grass seeds, as
well as berries, insects, worms and snail shells. Like all
granivorous columbids, the Common Ground Dove
possesses the ability to store large amounts of seeds in its
crop — an expanding storage organ that slowly releases
food into the gizzard to be ground up. One bird taken near
a feeder was found to have 697 seeds in its crop (Dennis
J.V. 1994. A complete guide to bird feeding); while another
found in Texas had 22,000 seeds in its crop (Passmore,
M.F. 1981. Population biology of the Common Ground
Dove and ecological relationships with Mourning and
White-winged doves in South Texas).
Common Ground Doves differ from other doves in that they form permanent bonds
and have few other social interactions. Individuals may be found drinking at water
holes in groups of six to 20, but they arrive and depart in pairs or alone.
Common Ground Doves hold territories, but rarely resort to aggressive displays
and when they do, it’s usually in a restrained manner. During competition for food
resources and mates, a male may lower its body parallel to the ground, then flick its
wings and tail while uttering woot woot. This may be followed by a short aerial chase
before the intruder flees. The confrontation may climax into a more aggressive
display, with rivals rushing at each other with one or both wings raised vertically,
above their backs. While raising both wings represents a greater willingness to
battle, neither bird attempts to make physical contact.
Common Ground Doves are gentle, loving and extremely devoted to their mates.
They are monogamous, forming close relationships that last for life in most cases.
Members of mated pairs remain together at all times, no further than three to four
metres from one another, except during incubation or while raising their brood.
When one member of a nesting pair dies, the survivor will try to take care of its
dead companion for a while afterwards, and may also return to the place where the
death occurred.
Common Ground Doves are prolific breeders that nest almost continuously from
February to October. Their courtship and pair-maintenance displays include bowing,
cooing, head bobbing, puffed feathers, flicking wings and guttural growls. Males may
feed their mates with regurgitated food just
before copulation. Common Ground Doves are
highly faithful creatures that copulate only with
their mates.
They build flimsy nests on the ground, in
cavities, low shrubs, low trees and low-growing
mangroves, and on man-made structures such
as fence posts, walls and even boats. In Grenada,
I have seen them build their flimsy nests on the
decks of boats at our local boatyard. The nests
are built hastily with grasses, weeds, palm fibers
and rootlets. Couples are egalitarian, with both
members of the pair gathering, carrying material
and building the nest, as well as incubating,
feeding, brooding and defending the chicks.
They raise two chicks per clutch, which in turn,
may start breeding as early as six to eight
months of age, before reaching maturity.
Immature nesting birds always pair with older,
more experienced mates.
Common Ground Doves’ cooperative nesting
behaviour and close, permanent pair bonds are
highly effective, allowing for a minimum of four
broods to be raised each year. Indeed, these little
Ground Doves have long discovered what we
humans appear to have forgotten — that
cooperation is the key to success.
Left: Its feathers’ dark centers cause the Common
Ground Dove’s scaly-breasted appearance.
Below: They raise two chicks per clutch,
with both parents sharing their care.
MAY/JUNE 2022 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 25