Geotrygon Explained

Geotrygon is a bird genus in the pigeon and dove family (Columbidae). Its members are called quail-doves, and all live in the Neotropics. The species of this genus have ranges from southern Mexico and Central America to the West Indies and South America. Quail-doves are ground-dwelling birds that live, nest, and feed in dense forests. They are remarkable for their purple to brown coloration with light-and-dark facial markings.

The genus Geotrygon was introduced in 1847 by English naturalist Philip Henry Gosse.^[1] The name combines the Ancient Greek geō- meaning "ground-" and trygōn meaning "turtledove".^[2] The type species was subsequently designated as the crested quail-dove (Geotrygon versicolor).^[3]

The genus contains nine species:^[4]

Fossils

• †Puerto Rican quail-dove, Geotrygon larva - prehistoric

Members of the genera Zentrygon and Leptotrygon are also known as quail-doves, and were formerly included in Geotrygon. The species Starnoenas cyanocephala was previously referred to as a quail-dove, though this English name is no longer used.^[5]

References

• Book: Gibbs . David . Barnes . Eustace . Cox . John . Pigeons and Doves: A Guide to the Pigeons and Doves of the World . Yale University Press . 2001 . 370–390 . 0-300-07886-2 .

Notes and References

1. Book: Gosse, Philip Henry . Philip Henry Gosse . 1847 . The Birds of Jamaica . London . J. Van Voorst . 316 .
2. Book: Jobling, James A. . 2010. The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names . limited . Christopher Helm . London . 978-1-4081-2501-4 . 172 .
3. Book: Peters . James Lee . James L. Peters . 1937 . Check-List of Birds of the World . 3 . Harvard University Press . Cambridge, Massachusetts . 132 .
4. 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 . 14 March 2020 .
5. Olson. Storrs L.. Wiley. James W. . 2016 . The Blue-headed Quail-Dove (Starnoenas cyanocephala): An Australasian dove marooned in Cuba. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology. 128. 1–21 . 10.1676/1559-4491-128.1.1.