The Story
I photographed this Scaled Dove (Columbina squammata) at Parque Ecotemático Wisirare, near Orocué, Casanare, Colombia. It feeds on the ground, walking with its belly almost touching the soil. Its tail is dark with white tips that form a white band along the sides, and a white stripe shows at the base of the wing in flight. It nests in a twig cup, usually 1 or 2 meters above the ground. IUCN lists it as Least Concern. It is usually silent except when it calls from well-hidden perches, though its wings make a noise when it takes off.
I photographed it with a Canon R5 and the RF 800mm f/11, at 1/250 sec, f/11, ISO 1600. Wisirare is home to the Fundación Palmarito’s Orinoco Crocodile breeding center, which raises young crocodiles for release into the wild in Colombia’s Orinoquía region.
©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