JOGI PHOTOGRAPHY: PEACEFUL DOVE

The Peaceful Dove

The Peaceful Dove (Geopelia placida) is a pigeon native to Australia and New Guinea. It is closely related to the Zebra Dove of south-east Asia and the Barred Dove of eastern Indonesia. Until recently, the three were classed as a single species, Geopelia striata, known as Peaceful Dove or Zebra Dove.
The bird is a relatively small pigeon and varies in length from 19 to 21 centimetres (7.6 to 8.4 inches). The Peaceful Dove has a pink-grey breast with chequered grey-brown wings. Thin striations of black appear around the neck and nape area and descend down the back. The eye is greyish-white and a blue-grey ring surrounds the eye that tapers off and joins the beak/cere. The juveniles are paler and less striated. They also have a duller eye ring. The nape is similar to that of the Bar-shouldered dove in that the nape feathers are striated but differs in that the Bar-shouldered dove does not have striated throat feathers like the Peaceful Dove. Furthermore, the nape feathers are grey-brown in colour compared to the vivid copper colour seen with Bar-shouldered doves.
Calls of the Peaceful Dove are high-pitched "doodle-doo", "co-co-coo" and "croorrr!".

DESCRIPTION

Overall brownish plumage with slightly darker shade on head, mantle and wings; heavily barred on nape, sides and flanks; forehead and chin slightly ashy. Eye rings light blue, legs pinkish.

DISTRIBUTION

Myanmar and Southeast Asia Australia. Resident in Malaysia and Singapore

HABITS and HABITAT

Commonly seen in open country, plantations, garden. in pairs or solitary, Forages mainly on the ground . Very vocal and can be surprisingly tames and confiding at times. Call is an initial flourish followed by a series of single notes, Coodle-oo coo coo coo .... ; individual variation in the call is the basis for popular bird-singing competition

Source : A Naturalist's Guide to the BIRDS OF MALAYSIA including Sabah and Sarawak