Image © Ron Knight
(Creative Commons License)
Nomenclature
Scientific Name: Leptotila jamaicensis
Name in Spanish (Mexico): Paloma Caribeña
Name in Mayan (if known):
ABA 4-Letter Bird Code: CADO
Family: Columbidae - Pigeons and Doves
About this Species
The Caribbean Dove (Leptotila jamaicensis) is a species of bird that inhabits various habitats in the Yucatan Peninsula, including the forests, scrublands, and agricultural areas of Belize, Guatemala, and the Caribbean coast of Mexico. The dove has a distinct bluish-gray plumage with a small patch of iridescent green on its neck, and its eyes are surrounded by a distinctive red eye-ring.
Caribbean Doves are monogamous birds that form pairs during breeding season. They build their nests in trees or bushes and lay one or two eggs, which both parents incubate for about two weeks. After hatching, the chicks are fed a diet of regurgitated seeds and insects until they fledge after about two weeks.
The diet of Caribbean Doves consists mainly of seeds, fruits, and insects. They are important seed dispersers in their habitat, particularly for large-seeded trees, and also play a role in controlling insect populations. Although they are not currently considered threatened, habitat loss and fragmentation due to human activities such as deforestation, agricultural expansion, and urbanization, are potential threats to their populations in the Yucatan Peninsula.
*Occurrence and Distribution in the Yucatan Peninsula
RESIDENCY STATUS: Yearround Resident
FREQUENCY STATUS: Fairly Common in the...
DISTRIBUTION TRENDS: Highest populations are in the ...
*This information was gathered from eBird (www.ebird.org)