Purplish-backed quail-dove
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Zentrygon lawrencii

The purplish-backed quail-dove (Zentrygon lawrencii ) is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is found in Costa Rica and Panama.

Appearance

Male purplish-backed quail-doves are 26 to 27 cm (10 to 11 in) long and females are about 25 cm (9.8 in) long. The species weighs about 220 g (7.8 oz). Adults have a grayish white forehead and a bluish to greenish gray crown, nape, and hindneck. The mantle is dull purple and the rest of the upperparts and the wings are olive-brown to blackish brown with some reddish tinge. The central tail feathers are purple-brown and the outer ones blackish with gray tips. The face and throat are white with a black malar line and a line from the bill to the eye. The neck and breast are slate gray with greenish sides, the belly center pale buff to cinnamon, and the flanks chocolate. The eye is browish orange to red surrounded by bare magenta skin. The legs and feet are also magenta. The juvenile lacks the green and purple of the mantle, its facial pattern is less conspicuous, and most feathers have buff fringes.

Distribution

Geography

Continents
Biogeographical realms

The purplish-backed quail-dove is resident from the Cordillera de Guanacaste in northern Costa Rica southeast to central Panama with scattered populations from there to Darién Province. It inhabits cool, wet, dense montane forest. In elevation it ranges from 400 to 800 m (1,300 to 2,600 ft) on the Caribbean slope but as high as 2,600 m (8,500 ft) in some other areas.

Purplish-backed quail-dove habitat map

Biome

Purplish-backed quail-dove habitat map
Purplish-backed quail-dove
Attribution-ShareAlike License

Habits and Lifestyle

The purplish-backed quail-dove usually walks or runs from danger rather than flying, though it sometimes will fly to an elevated perch.

Lifestyle
Seasonal behavior
Bird's call

Diet and Nutrition

The purplish-backed quail-dove forages on the ground, usually singly or in pairs. It feeds on fruit, seeds, insects, and worms.

Mating Habits

The purplish-backed quail-dove's breeding season in Costa Rica spans from June to October but apparently starts earlier in Panama. It builds a bulky but loose nest as a shallow bowl of sticks lined with finer materials and places it in dense vegetation near the ground. It lays a single egg.

Population

Population number

The IUCN has assessed the purplish-backed quail-dove as being of Least Concern. Though it appears to be fairly common, it "could become threatened if forest habitat continues to be destroyed at present rates".

References

1. Purplish-backed quail-dove Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purplish-backed_quail-dove
2. Purplish-backed quail-dove on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22728963/163496799
3. Xeno-canto bird call - https://xeno-canto.org/71927

More Fascinating Animals to Learn About