Zenaida auriculata
The Eared Dove (Zenaida auriculata) is a widespread and often incredibly abundant neotropical pigeon species, celebrated for its adaptability and impressive population numbers. Measuring typically 20-28 cm (8-11 in) in length with a wingspan of 30-40 cm (12-16 in) and weighing 90-180 g (3.2-6.3 oz), its plumage is primarily a dull olive-brown to grayish-brown, often with a vinous wash on the underparts, especially on the breast. Key field marks include two distinct black spots on the wing cov...
Primarily found in open or semi-open habitats including agricultural lands, pastures, dry scrub, open woodlands, savannas, and urban/suburban environments. It thrives from sea level up to elevations of 4,500 meters in the Andes.
Primarily granivorous, feeding on a wide variety of seeds, grains (especially cultivated crops like corn, wheat, sorghum), and small fruits; forages almost exclusively on the ground by walking and pecking.
Eared Doves are highly social, largely diurnal birds that congregate in massive communal roosts, sometimes numbering in the millions, particularly outside the breeding season. Their foraging strategy involves efficient ground gleaning, methodically walking and pecking at seeds and fallen fruits f...
The Eared Dove boasts a vast neotropical distribution, extending across almost all of South America and many Caribbean islands. Its breeding range spans from northern Colombia and Venezuela, south through Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil, and into central and northern Argentina a...
Least Concern
- The Eared Dove is renowned for forming some of the largest bird flocks on Earth, with aggregations in Argentina sometimes numbering in the tens of millions, resembling a feathered cloud. - Like all pigeons and doves, they produce "crop milk," a nutrient-rich secretion from their crop lining, to...