Lemon dove facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lemon dove |
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| Giant's Castle Game Reserve, South Africa | |
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| Immature at Eshowe, KwaZulu-Natal | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Columba
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| Species: |
larvata
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| Synonyms | |
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Aplopelia larvata Bonaparte, 1855 |
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The lemon dove (also called the cinnamon dove) is a type of bird. It belongs to the pigeon family, called Columbidae. You can find these doves in mountain forests across sub-Saharan Africa. The São Tomé lemon dove is often seen as a slightly different kind of lemon dove.
Lemon doves usually have brownish-grey feathers. Their chest is a cinnamon brown color. Male doves have a neck that looks a bit green and white marks on their head. Females and young doves are more brown and have grey marks on their faces. This dove is a common bird. The International Union for Conservation of Nature says it is a "least concern" species. This means it is not currently in danger of disappearing.
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About the Lemon Dove
The lemon dove is different from other African pigeons. It often walks on the ground. Adult males have a white face and forehead. Because of these differences, some scientists sometimes put it in its own group, called Aplopelia.
Some people think the doves living near the Gulf of Guinea (called the São Tomé lemon-dove) are a separate species. Others see them as a type of the regular lemon dove. If they are all one species, it is simply called the lemon-dove.
What Does a Lemon Dove Look Like?
The lemon dove is a fairly small bird. It measures about 24 to 30 centimeters (9 to 12 inches) long. It weighs between 81.7 and 150 grams (2.9 to 5.3 ounces).
Adult male doves have dark brown feathers on their back. The sides of their neck have a green shine. Their chest is cinnamon brown. They also have clear white marks on their face. Their feet, the colored part of their eye (called the iris), and the skin around their eyes are red. Their bill (beak) is black.
Female doves and young males look similar. However, their feathers are a lighter brown. Their face marks are a dull grey. Male doves from western Africa have dark grey feathers.
Where Do Lemon Doves Live?
Lemon doves live in many places. They are found in montane forests (mountain forests) in sub-Saharan Africa. For example, in eastern Africa, they live at heights from about 100 to 3,000 meters (330 to 9,800 feet) above sea level.
Their diet mostly includes small fruits, seeds, and tiny snails. They also eat insects. The female dove usually lays two creamy white eggs.
Conservation Status
The lemon dove is found across a very wide area. The number of these birds seems to be stable. Because of this, the bird is listed as a species of "least concern" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. This means it is not considered to be in danger.
However, in some places, their numbers seem to be going down. For example, in Tanzania, they are common above 1,300 meters (4,300 feet) above sea level in the Nguu North Forest Reserve. But they are not very common in lower areas. They are almost completely missing from the southeast part of Tanzania.
