Scaled Dove
Columbina squammata
In Brazilian folklore, its rhythmic two-note call is said to sound like 'fogo-pagou', which translates to 'the fire is paid'.
- Scientific name
- Columbina squammata
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Columbiformes › Columbidae › Columbina
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Open scrublands, savanna (Cerrado and Caatinga), and urban parks or gardens.
- Diet
- Granivorous; primarily consumes small seeds and grains found on the soil surface.
- Range
- Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, Colombia
- Size
- 18-22 cm in length; weight approximately 45-60 grams.
- Lifespan
- 5-8 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat fragmentation and the use of chemical pesticides in agricultural feeding grounds.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. These birds are skittish and will take flight if approached too closely. Maintain a distance of 5-10 meters to observe their foraging behavior without causing stress.
The scaled dove ( Columbina squammata ), also known as scaly dove , Ridgway's dove , mottled dove , and South American zebra dove , is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland, and heavily degraded former forest.
Photo: Christoph Moning, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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