The Story
I photographed this Ruddy Ground Dove (Columbina talpacoti) at the Finca Ecoturística Canaguaros, near Tauramena, Casanare, Colombia, in January 2020. It is a resident breeder from Mexico to northern Argentina. It is very common in scrub, farmland and towns, where it feeds on grain alongside feral pigeons. Males have a pale gray head and rich rufous upperparts, while females are gray-brown. It eats mainly seeds, and its call is a cooing cur-WOO. Males often threaten each other by jumping and raising a wing.
I used a Pentax K-1 with the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6 for this one, at 1/800 sec, f/5.6, ISO 3200. For now, IUCN lists the Ruddy Ground Dove as Least Concern, and its numbers appear to be growing.
©2020 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Ruddy Ground Dove (Columbina talpacoti) belongs to the family Columbidae (Pigeons and Doves) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2020), with the population trend listed as increasing. Source: IUCN Red List
