Picui ground dove

{{Speciesbox | name = Picui ground dove | image = PicuiGroundDove.jpg | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name=IUCN>{{cite iucn|url=https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22690794/93289130 |title=Picui Dove ''Columbina picui'' |author=BirdLife International |author-link=BirdLife International |year=2016 |access-date=15 September 2021}}</ref> | genus = Columbina | species = picui | authority = ([[Coenraad Jacob Temminck|Temminck]], 1813) | synonyms = | range_map = Columbina picui map.svg

}}

The '''Picui ground dove''' or '''Picui dove''' ('''''Columbina picui''''') is a species of [[bird]] in the family [[Columbidae]]. It is found in [[Argentina]], [[Bolivia]], [[Brazil]], [[Chile]], [[Colombia]], [[Paraguay]], [[Peru]], and [[Uruguay]].<ref name=IOC11.2>{{cite web |url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/ |title=IOC World Bird List (v 11.2) |last1=Gill |first1= F. |last2=Donsker|first2=D.|last3=Rasmussen |first3=P. |date=July 2021 |access-date=July 14, 2021 }}</ref><ref name=HBW2020>HBW and BirdLife International (2020) ''Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world'' Version 5. Available at: http://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v5_Dec20.zip [.xls zipped 1 MB] retrieved May 27, 2021</ref>

==Taxonomy and systematics==

The Picui ground dove and [[croaking ground dove]] (''Columbina cruziana'') are sometimes considered [[sister species]].<ref name=SACClist>Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 24 August 2021. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved August 24, 2021</ref> The Picui ground dove has two subspecies, the nominate ''C. p. picui'' and ''C. p. strepitans''.<ref name=IOC11.2/>

[[File:Columbina picui-dorsal.jpg|thumb|240px|left|In [[Mendoza, Argentina]]]] ==Description==

The Picui ground dove is {{convert|18|cm|in|abbr=on}} long and weighs {{convert|42|to|59|g|oz|abbr=on}}. The nominate adult male's forehead and throat are whitish with a narrow black stripe in front of the eye. Its crown and nape are gray that becomes brownish gray on the shoulders, back, rump, and central tail feathers. The folded wing appears pinkish fawn with two white bands bordered by black. The neck and breast are pinkish gray and the belly white. The adult female is duller with less pink. These differences are faint to the human eye, but there are significant differences in [[Bird vision#Ultraviolet sensitivity|ultraviolet]] reflectance, to which birds are believed sensitive. The juvenile is duller and browner than the adults. The upperparts and wing of ''C. p. strepitans'' are grayer than the nominate's, with less pink.<ref name=PIGD-BOW>Baptista, L. F., P. W. Trail, H. M. Horblit, P. F. D. Boesman, and E. F. J. Garcia (2020). Picui Ground Dove (''Columbina picui''), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.pigdov1.01 retrieved September 15, 2021</ref>

==Distribution and habitat==

The nominate subspecies of Picui ground dove is widely distributed east of the Andes in eastern and southern Bolivia, Paraguay, and southern Brazil south through Uruguay and most of Argentina, and also west of the Andes in central Chile. It winters north to eastern Peru. ''C. p. strepitans'' has a smaller range in several states of northeastern Brazil.<ref name=PIGD-BOW/>

The Picui ground dove mostly inhabits arid landscapes such as forest edge and savanna with its scattered trees and other cover, [[mesquite]] scrub forest, suburbs, gardens, and cultivated lands. In northwestern Argentina it ranges as high as {{convert|3000|m|ft|abbr=on}} and in Bolivia up to {{convert|3700|m|ft|abbr=on}}. In most of the rest of its range it is seldom found above {{convert|1250|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref name=PIGD-BOW/>

==Behavior== ===Feeding===

The Picui ground dove forages on the ground for seeds including cultivated grains, typically in groups of 25 to 30. It has been noted in the hundreds in hemp fields.<ref name=PIGD-BOW/>

===Breeding===

The Picui ground dove's nesting season in Argentina spans from October to April. It makes a nest of twigs lined with finer materials in a shrub or tree and occasionally on roofs. Both members of a pair incubate the two eggs, and it is thought to double brood.<ref name=PIGD-BOW/>

===Vocalization===

{{birdsong|url=https://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Columbina-picui |species=Picui ground dove}} The Picui ground dove's song is "a series of evenly-spaced, low-pitched cooing notes...cuWOOo...cuWOOo...cuWOOo...".<ref name=PIGD-BOW/>

==Status==

The [[IUCN]] has assessed the Picui ground dove as being of Least Concern.<ref name=IUCN/> The species appears to be abundant in much of its range and is rarely hunted.<ref name=PIGD-BOW/>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20070928011208/http://www.avespampa.com.ar/Torcacita.mp3 Call of a Picui Ground Dove] * [http://ibc.hbw.com/ibc/phtml/especie.phtml?idEspecie=1840 Videos]

[[Category:Columbina (bird)|Picui ground dove]] [[Category:Birds of South America]] [[Category:Birds described in 1813|Picui ground dove]] [[Category:Taxonomy articles created by Polbot]]