Leptotila ochraceiventris
The Ochre-bellied Dove (Leptotila ochraceiventris) is a striking, medium-sized Neotropical ground-dove, measuring approximately 23-25 cm (9-10 inches) in length and weighing around 150 grams. Its most distinctive feature is the rich, yellowish-brown (ochre) coloration that covers its belly and undertail coverts, contrasting sharply with its dark reddish-brown back and wings. The head is adorned with a soft gray crown, fading into a white throat, while iridescent dark purple patches shimmer on...
Found in humid and semi-humid evergreen or deciduous forests, particularly on foothills and lower slopes. It inhabits elevations typically between 300 to 1800 meters (1,000 to 5,900 feet).
Primarily granivorous, consuming seeds and fallen fruits gathered from the forest floor. Its diet is supplemented with small invertebrates, often encountered during ground foraging.
This predominantly diurnal dove typically forages singly or in pairs on the forest floor, though it will gather in small groups at fruiting trees. Its foraging strategy involves a deliberate, slow walk through the leaf litter, meticulously picking up fallen seeds, fruits, and small invertebrates....
The Ochre-bellied Dove is an endemic species, confined exclusively to a narrow strip along the Pacific slope of southwestern Ecuador and northwestern Peru. Its distribution primarily encompasses the Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena biogeographic region, a global biodiversity hotspot. Specifically, populati...
Vulnerable
- The Ochre-bellied Dove's scientific name, *Leptotila ochraceiventris*, directly translates to "slender-tailed, ochre-bellied," referring to its distinctive coloring. - It is endemic to the highly biodiverse but threatened Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena biogeographic region of South America. - Unlike ma...