# White-tipped Dove

*Leptotila verreauxi*

When taking off in alarm, their wings produce a distinctive whirring or whistling sound that serves as an acoustic alarm for nearby wildlife.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Columbiformes › Columbidae › Leptotila
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Tropical and subtropical dry forests, woodland edges, scrublands, and agricultural borders.
- **Diet:** Seeds, small fruits, berries, and occasionally insects scavenged from the ground.
- **Range:** Central America, South America, Southern Texas, Caribbean
- **Size:** 25-30 cm long, 115-185 grams
- **Lifespan:** 5-8 years
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Habitat fragmentation, urban development, domestic cat predation, and window strikes.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless and timid. Keep a safe distance of at least 5 meters to avoid startling this ground-dwelling bird. If you find an injured dove, contact a local licensed wildlife rehabilitator.

## About

The white-tipped dove ( Leptotila verreauxi ) is a large New World tropical dove. Its scientific name commemorates the French naturalists Jules and Edouard Verreaux.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/4d0ea467-4c20-40b3-a1f0-b17bcc3d7513
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/3280
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leptotila verreauxi
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/268175748/medium.jpeg (Christoph Moning, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.