African Lemon Dove

Columba larvata

Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassAves (Birds)
OrderColumbiformes (Pigeons and Doves)
FamilyColumbidae (Pigeons and Doves)
GenusColumba (Typical Old World Pigeons)
SpeciesColumba larvata (African Lemon Dove)

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

at Bale Mountains National Park

1 Verified sightings at Bale Mountains National Park From 2019 to 2026

980 Verified sightings across all 27 parks From 2019 to 2026

☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the African Lemon Dove

The lemon dove or cinnamon dove (Aplopelia larvata) is a species of bird in the pigeon family Columbidae found in montane forests of sub-Saharan Africa. The lemon dove has a generally brownish-grey plumage with a cinnamon brown breast. Adults have a greenish-glossed neck and white markings on the head, and juveniles are rather more brown with pale feather fringe barring and have greyer facial markings. This dove is a common species, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".

The lemon dove was previously placed in the genus Columba, but it differs from the African pigeons of the genus Columba both genetically, in which it is closer to the genus Streptopelia, and by its more strongly terrestrial habits. The population on the island of São Tomé in the Gulf of Guinea, usually considered a subspecies, has been treated as a separate species A. simplex (São Tomé lemon dove; syn. C. simplex) by some authors.

Seven subspecies are recognised: A. l. inornata Reichenow, A, 1827 – Sierra Leone to Liberia, southeastern Nigeria, Cameroon, and Gabon; Bioko A. l. principalis (Hartlaub, KJG, 1866) – Príncipe... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Bale Mountains National Park

Columba albitorques

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely

Columba guinea

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely

Columba arquatrix

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Streptopelia lugens

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely

Streptopelia semitorquata

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Streptopelia roseogrisea

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Streptopelia reichenowi

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Turtur tympanistria

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

#	Park	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Garden Route National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	~10%
2	Table Mountain National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	~10%
3	Liwonde National Park	🇲🇼 Malawi	<5%
4	Arusha National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	<5%
5	Tsavo West National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
6	Mkomazi National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	<5%
7	Aberdare National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
8	Tsavo East National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
9	iSimangaliso Wetland Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	<5%
10	Kidepo Valley National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	<5%
11	Ngorongoro Conservation Area	🇹🇿 Tanzania	<5%
12	Nyungwe National Park	🇷🇼 Rwanda	<5%
13	Addo Elephant National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	<5%
14	Bwindi Impenetrable National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	<5%
15	Virunga National Park	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	<5%
16	Kruger National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	<5%
17	Semuliki National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	Insufficient data
18	Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	Insufficient data
19	Ruaha National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	Insufficient data
20	Bale Mountains National Park	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	Insufficient data
21	Lake Manyara National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	Insufficient data
22	Queen Elizabeth National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	Insufficient data
23	Nairobi National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	Insufficient data
24	Murchison Falls National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	Insufficient data
25	Masai Mara National Reserve	🇰🇪 Kenya	Insufficient data
26	Kibale National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	Insufficient data
27	Serengeti National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	Insufficient data

← Back to Bale Mountains National Park

African Lemon Dove

About the African Lemon Dove

Recent sightings of African Lemon Dove in Bale Mountains National Park

Closest Relatives at Bale Mountains National Park

White-collared Pigeon

Speckled Pigeon

Rameron Pigeon

Dusky Turtle Dove

Red-eyed Dove

African Collared Dove

White-winged Collared Dove

Tambourine Dove

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found