The Story
I photographed this Scaled Dove (Columbina squammata) at Parque Ecotemático Wisirare, near Orocué, Casanare, Colombia. It is usually silent except when it calls from well-hidden perches, though its wings make a noise when it takes off. When it flies it shows white bands along the sides of its tail and a white stripe at the base of the wing. IUCN lists it as Least Concern. It feeds on the ground, walking with its belly almost touching the soil.
I used a Canon R5 with the RF 800mm f/11 for this one, at 1/500 sec, f/11, ISO 1600, +0.5 EV. In September 2026, 17 Orinoco Crocodiles were released at Wisirare as Colombia’s environment ministry signed the PROCAIMÁN commitment, adding to 217 released between 2010 and 2024.
©2021 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Scaled Dove (Columbina squammata) 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 2024), with the population trend listed as stable. Source: IUCN Red List