Columbina (bird) explained

Columbina is a genus of small doves in the family Columbidae that live in the New World. They range from the southern United States through Central America and much of South America. Columbina doves are normally found in pairs or small flocks and generally occur in open country. They have maroon irides and pinkish legs. In flight, some species show a distinctive flash of rufous in the wings, while others show black-and-white wing-patterns.

The genus was introduced in 1825 by the German naturalist Johann Baptist von Spix.^[1] The name is from Latin columbinus meaning "of a dove" or "dove-like".^[2] The type species was designated as the C. strepitans by English zoologist George Robert Gray in 1841.^[3] This taxon is now considered as a subspecies of the picui ground dove Columbina picui strepitans.^{[4] [5]}

The genus contains nine species:^[5]

• Inca dove, Columbina inca
• Scaled dove, Columbina squammata
• Common ground dove, Columbina passerina
• Plain-breasted ground dove, Columbina minuta
• Ecuadorian ground dove, Columbina buckleyi
• Ruddy ground dove, Columbina talpacoti
• Picui ground dove, Columbina picui
• Croaking ground dove, Columbina cruziana
• Blue-eyed ground dove, Columbina cyanopis

Notes and References

1. Book: von Spix, Johann Baptist . Johann Baptist von Spix . 1825 . Avium species novae, quas Brasiliam anus MDCCCXVII - MDCCCXX . 2 . Latin . Monachii [Munich] . Franc. Seraph. Hübschmanni . 57–58 .
2. Book: Jobling, James A. . 2010. The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names . limited . Christopher Helm . London . 978-1-4081-2501-4 . 115 .
3. Book: Gray, George Robert . George Robert Gray . 1841 . A List of the Genera of Birds : with their Synonyma and an Indication of the Typical Species of Each Genus . 2nd . London . R. and J.E. Taylor . 75 .
4. Book: Peters . James Lee . James L. Peters . 1937 . Check-list of Birds of the World . 3 . Harvard University Press . Cambridge, Massachusetts . 104 .
5. Web site: Gill . Frank . Frank Gill (ornithologist) . Donsker . David . Rasmussen . Pamela . Pamela Rasmussen . 2020 . Pigeons . IOC World Bird List Version 10.1 . International Ornithologists' Union . 5 March 2020 .