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Birds of EcuadorDiverse bird fauna of Ecuador

 

 

 
 

Condor - Vulture - Raptor - Caracara - Owl - Woodpecker - Dove - Heron - Egret - Shorebird

Hummingbird - Flycatcher - Swallow - Wren - Tanager - Finch - Cuckoo - Duck - Coot - Jacana

Parrot - Macaw - Toucan - Cacique & Oropendola - Hoatzin - Trogon - Motmot - Cock-of-the-Rock

Kingfisher - Gull - Cormorant - Penguin - Booby - Frigatebird - Pelican - Albatross - Flamingo



 

Doves & Pigeons  



 

are small to medium sized birds with short legs and necks and are well known to all people over the world. That is especially true for one specie, the Rock Dove, the commonly known pigeon to many city dwellers. That bird also inhabits all major towns in Ecuador but another 28 wild species can be found on mainland Ecuador. Only one specie, the endemic Galapagos Dove inhabits the Galapagos islands.



 

Like in so many other cities the Common Pigeons are also numerous in Quito being fed by the inhabitants on the major squares (photo taken in Plaza San Francisco). Those birds were introduced to the Americas in the early 19th century and spread then throughout the two hemispheres. One of the few bird species globally which actually benefited from human intervention.



 

Rock Doves (Columba livia), native to Europe and Asia, are the ancestors of the many domestic breeds and subsequent feral breeds of the Common Pigeon. The Rock Doves were bred since historical times for their body and plumage features. Very different looking birds like Carriers, Pouters and Jacobins evolved from those artificial breeding programs but they are all still the same specie. Pigeons are the equivalent of dogs in the avian world showing high plasticity of body shape. But also behavioral skills were reinforced. The Homing Pigeon has exceptional navigational skills, finding their way back home from long distances away.



 

Band-Tailed Pigeon is a large arboreal pigeon, seen often in large flocks in Andean valleys and subtropical regions of the country (Papallacta).

Croaking Ground-Doves are numerous in the arid lowlands of the west and are found in settled areas (Jambeli island near Machala).



 

Pigeons and Doves live in open terrain, wooded habitat and some are numerous in towns and larger cities. They feed mostly on grains, seeds and fruits, which they store first in their crop and later grind them up in their muscular gizzard with the help of grit. They drink a lot of water, more than any other bird. Distinction between doves and pigeons are mostly semantic with the smaller ones usually called doves.



 

The Galapagos Dove (Zenaida galapagoensis) is endemic to the islands (photo to the right taken on Santa Fe) and found nowhere else in the world. They nest in many islands under rocks and breed year-round. It is speculated that the Eared Dove (Zenaida auriculata) gave origin to that specie (photo to the left taken in Quito). Those doves are very common and not only found in the Andean valleys but also in the drier southwestern coastal plains and on Isla de la Plata. From those regions it might have reached Galapagos.



 

Females build simple and flat nests in trees made of twigs and plant fibers, which are gathered and brought to her by the males. 1-2 eggs are laid and both parents incubate for around 2 weeks (in larger species up to a month). The chicks which hatch are semi-altricial and  fledge and become independent early. In the beginning they are fed by both female and male a milky substance (pigeon or crop milk) which is rich in fats and proteins (similar to mammalian milk) produced in both sexes' crop. Later on that is substituted by regurgitated fruits and seeds. Once the young leaves the nest they join feeding flocks of other immatures and adults. Because of the quick development of the young, some species can have as many as five broods a year



 

Columbids are capable to suck up water with their bills immersed in it. That is in contrast to most other birds, which must first scoop up water with their bills and then throw back their heads to swallow it. This Ruddy Ground-Dove living in the Amazonian town of Coca shows how it is done.



 

Condor - Vulture - Raptor - Caracara - Owl - Woodpecker - Dove - Heron - Egret - Shorebird

Hummingbird - Flycatcher - Swallow - Wren - Tanager - Finch - Cuckoo - Duck - Coot - Jacana

Parrot - Macaw - Toucan - Cacique & Oropendola - Hoatzin - Trogon - Motmot - Cock-of-the-Rock

Kingfisher - Gull - Cormorant - Penguin - Booby - Frigatebird - Pelican - Albatross - Flamingo

 
 Classification
 

They make up the family of Columbidae in the order of Columbiformes. There exist around 312 species worldwide found in many habitats. 28 species can be found on mainland Ecuador with one endemic specie, the Galapagos Dove inhabiting Galapagos.

 
 
 
 Evolutionary Thought
 
Much is written about the insight young Charles Darwin obtained on his visit to the Galapagos islands. Especially mentioned are the Darwin finches, the supposedly Eureka moment of his natural selection theory. Historical facts however suggests otherwise. Darwin himself never distinguished the finches as separate species. That was pointed out to him later by English ornithologists studying his specimen. Truer to the myth might be the Galapagos mockingbirds which he did recognize as four distinct species. But it was certainly the pigeon which aroused his most insight. Studying the artificial breeding programs which produced the various races with their subsequently distinct looks and abilities. That made him start thinking. In his famous "On the Origin of Species" book he devoted several pages on that subject whereas his Galapagos experience is hardly mentioned. Apparently not wildlife observation but artificial breeding programs led him first to the concept of natural selection being the driving force of evolution.
 
 
 
 Conservation Ideas
 
To proclaim "Let's protect the Common Pigeon" would sound as stupid to any conservationist as does the concept in general to any hard-line conservative. Protection is needed "yes" but let's choose some rare and precious animal which ignites our imagination. "Not the numerous pigeons shitting all over town." If there would have been a conservationist movement around in the 19th century the same would have been said of the passenger pigeons. According to some account they numbered in the billions. Protect them, laughable! But it happened. Reckless hunting and forest clearing led to their quick demise. Last efforts like breeding them in captivities did not work and the last survivors died out in zoos.

Sheer numbers is no guarantee for survival
!
 
 
 
 Ecuadorian Species
 
Name Scientific Location

 

Pallid Dove Leptotila pallida Coast
Ochre-Bellied Dove Leptotila ochraceiventris Coast
White-Tipped Dove Leptotila verreauxi Coast & Amazon
Gray-Fronted Dove Leptotila rufaxilla Amazon 
Eared Dove Zenaida auriculata Coast & Andes
West Peruvian Dove Zenaida meloda Coast 
Common
Ground-Dove
Columbina passerina Andes
Plain-Breasted
Ground-Dove
Columbina minuta Amazon & Coast
Ruddy
Ground-Dove
Columbina talpacoti Amazon
Ecuadorian
Ground-Dove
Columbina buckleyi Coast
Croaking
Ground-Dove
Columbina cruziana Andes & Coast
Blue
Ground-Dove
Claravis pretiosa Amazon & Coast
Maroon-Chested
Ground-Dove
Claravis mondetoura Amazon & Coast
Black-Winged
Ground-Dove
Metriopelia melanoptera Andes
Sapphire
Quail-Dove
Geotrygon saphirina Amazon 
Indigo-Crowned
Quail-Dove
Geotrygon purpurata Coast 
Olive-Backed
Quail-Dove
Geotrygon veraguensis Coast
Ruddy
Quail-Dove
Geotrygon montana Amazon & Coast 
Violaceous
Quail-Dove
Geotrygon violacea Amazon 
White-Throated
Quail-Dove
Geotrygon frenata Andes 
Band-Tailed Pigeon Columba fasciata Andes
Plumbeous Pigeon Columba plumbea Amazon & Coast
Ruddy Pigeon Columba subvinacea Amazon & Coast
Dusky Pigeon Columba goodsoni Coast
Scaled Pigeon Columba speciosa Amazon & Coast
Pale-Vented Pigeon Columba cayennensis Amazon & Coast
Marañon Pigeon Columba oenops Amazon
 
 
 
 Avian Vocabulary
 

Crop: an expendable pouch in the esophagus which serves for temporary food storage.

Gizzard: muscular organ where seeds are ground up by muscular contraction and grit retained there.

 
 
 
 
 

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