PICUI GROUND-DOVE Columbina picui
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So closely-bonded are the pairs of this faithful little ground-dove that Paraguayans call new couples in the first throes of passion “Tortolitas” in their honour. They are a familiar sight in towns and agricultural areas, walking with nodding head and wobbling gait on stumpy legs before exploding into flight and dramatically exposing the white wing band and outer tail feathers. Large flocks often gather during the winter months.
FIGURE 1 - Adult male, Ruta Trans-Chaco km 650, Departamento Boquerón (Paul Smith July).
FIGURE 2 - Adult female, PN Teniente Enciso (Hemme Batjes July 2006).
FIGURE 3 - Adult female, Ruta Trans-Chaco km 650, Departamento Boquerón. Compare this bird with the female in Fig 7 from Encarnación, southern Paraguay. It is much more olivaceous above, with a paler tail (Paul Smith July).
FIGURE 4 - Adult male, Encarnación, Departamento Itapuá. Note the black central tail feathers and different colouration of head and nape. (Paul Smith August).
FIGURE 5 - Adult male upperwing, Encarnación, Departamento Itapuá (Paul Smith September).
FIGURE 6 - Adult male underwing, Encarnación, Departamento Itapuá (Paul Smith December).
FIGURE 7 - Adult female, Encarnación, Departamento Itapuá. Compare with the female in Fig 3 (Paul Smith August).
FIGURE 8 - Same individual upperwing (Paul Smith August).
FIGURE 9 - Adult female incubating Encarnación, Departamento Itapuá (Paul Smith December 2006).
FIGURE 10 - Adult male incubating same nest (Paul Smith December 2006).
FIGURE 11 - Juvenile recently emerged from nest Encarnación, Departamento Itapuá (Paul Smith August).
FIGURE 12 - 6-day old nestling, Encarnación, Departamento Itapuá (Paul Smith June).
FIGURE 13 - Same nestling at 2 days in nest, Encarnación, Departamento Itapuá (Paul Smith June).
FIGURE 14 - Nest with 2 eggs, Encarnación, Departamento Itapuá (Paul Smith June).
FIGURE 15 - Prints, PN Teniente Enciso (Paul Smith July).
VIDEO - Adult male, Ruta Trans-Chaco km 650, Departamento Boquerón. (Paul Smith July).
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Designed by Paul Smith 2006. This website is copyrighted by law.
Material contained herewith may not be used without the prior written permission of FAUNA Paraguay.
Photographs on this web-site were taken by Paul Smith, Hemme Batjes, Regis Nossent,
Alberto Esquivel, Arne Lesterhuis, José Luis Cartes, Rebecca Zarza and Hugo del Castillo and are used with their permission.
Columbina picui call recorded Laguna Capitán, Cuenca Upper Yacaré Sur (Paul Smith October 2007).
Click the link to hear the call. Longer versions of this call can be downloaded from the Paraguay page of our partner website Xeno-Canto - the largest collection of freely downloadable Neotropical bird calls available online.