Galapagos dove  (Zenaida galapagoensis)

An attractive bird, the Galapagos dove has dark reddish-brown upperparts, a pinkish neck and breast, a buffy-coloured belly, and brown wings, streaked with white and black (2) (3). The primary flight feathers are black, fringed with white borders, and the underwing is a dark bluish-grey. The tail is dark brown, with grey edges, a black bar near the end, and a grey bar at the tip (2). The dove’s legs and feet are bright red (2) (3). The head is particularly striking, with a long, black beak and dark eye, contrasting with the bright blue eye ring, and the creamy white stripe, bordered with thin black stripes, behind and below the eye (2). Each side of the neck bears a pinkish- or greenish-bronze iridescent patch. The female Galapagos dove is slightly duller in colour than the male, with a more restricted iridescent patch on the neck, and the juvenile also has duller plumage than the adult (2) (3).

Somewhat unusually for a Galapagos species, populations of Galapagos doves on different islands are generally quite similar in appearance, and do not appear to have low genetic diversity, suggesting high rates of gene flow between islands. However, some morphological differences do exist, particularly in body size (4). Two subspecies are recognised, with Zenaida galapagoensis exsul being slightly larger and darker in colour than its more southern counterpart, Zenaida galapagoensis galapagoensis (2) (3) (5).