White-tipped Dove

Leptotila verreauxi

Order COLUMBIFORMES - Family COLUMBIDAE

Menu

1. Cool Facts
2. Description
3. Similar Species
4. Sound
5. Range
6. Habitat
7. Food
8. Behavior
9. Reproduction
10. Conservation Status
11. Other Names

A secretive bird of the Neotropics, the White-tipped Dove reaches the northern edge of its range in southern Texas. It spends most of its time foraging inconspicuously on the ground, occasionally bursting into the air with noisy wingbeats and distinctive flashes of chestnut color under the wings.

Cool Facts

• The White-tipped Dove is more aggressive than other doves, often chasing other White-tipped Doves while foraging on the ground.
• Unlike other doves and pigeons, the White-tipped Dove keeps its nest extremely clean.

• As many as 13 or 14 subspecies of White-tipped Dove are recognized across its range.

Description

• Size: 25-31 cm (10-12 in)
• Weight: 99-230 g (3.49-8.12 ounces)

• Medium-sized bird; large dove.
• Small head.
• Brown back.
• Pale underparts.
• Medium-long square tail, with white corners.

• Crown and nape show iridescent purple.
• Eyes yellow or orange with red orbital ring.
• Legs and feet red.
• Wing linings chestnut or rusty-red.

Sex Differences

Sexes look similar.

Immature

Juvenile has dark eyes, show some buffy scaling on upperparts, and lacks iridescence.

Similar Species

• Mourning Dove is smaller, with a longer, pointed tail.
• White-winged Dove has conspicuous white wing patches.

Sound

Song a long, low cooing, similar to the sound made from blowing across the top of a bottle. Wings make a high whirr upon takeoff.

»listen to songs of this species

Range

Summer Range

Resident from very southern Texas through Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Argentina.

Habitat

Found in riparian areas, open woodlands, coffee and banana plantations, gardens, and fields.

Food

Seeds, fruits, and some invertebrates.

Behavior

Foraging

Forages on the ground. Sometimes visits feeders.

Reproduction

Nest Type

A shallow bowl of thick twigs, placed in low tree.

Egg Description

Cream-colored and unmarked.

Clutch Size

Usually 2 eggs. Range: 1-3.

Condition at Hatching

Naked except for bristly feather tips. Bill is pinkish brown with a black band and a white tip.

Conservation Status

May be declining in Texas.

Other Names

Colombe de Verreaux (French)
Paloma arroyera (Spanish)
White-fronted Dove (English)

Sources used to construct this page:

Hogan, K. M. 1999. White-tipped Dove (Leptotila verreauxi). In The Birds of North America, No. 436 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.