Description
Small dove. Dark brown wings and back with small white spots. Rest of body blue-grey, slightly more brownish in females. A pink or red ring around eye. Red legs and feet. Juveniles are duller and lack white spots.
Disperses in response to rainfall. In the Top End they are common in the drier more southerly areas; some birds move north for the dry season. Normally seen in pairs or small flocks. Forages on the ground, taking mostly seeds and some insects. At night roosts in trees or shrubs. Across its range, it breeds at any time of year when there is sufficient rain; in the Top End recorded Jan-Mar. The nest is a small platform of twigs or similar material. Females lay 2 white eggs. Both parents build the nest and incubate and tend the young. Incubation lasts around 2 weeks. Young leave the nest at 9-14 days of age, and are fed by their parents for around another 1-2 weeks.
Author credit: Lindley McKay
Habitat
Drier woodland and grassland, not far from water.
Food
Omnivore
Range
Across Australia.
Credits:
Map is from Atlas of Living Australia website at https://biocache.ala.org.au licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Species Description is from Museums Field Guide, Atlas of Living Australia at website at https://lists.ala.org.au Licensed under Creative Commons Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Classification
| Class: | Aves | | Order: | Columbiformes | | Family: | Columbidae | | Genus: | Geopelia | | Species: | cuneata | | Common Name: | Diamond Dove |
Relatives in same Genus
Bar-shouldered Dove (G. humeralis)
Peaceful Dove (G. striata)
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