Crested Quail-Dove

About the Crested Quail-Dove

The crested quail-dove (Geotrygon versicolor) is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to Jamaica. At one time the crested quail-dove was the sole member of genus Geotrygon. Most of what are now the other species in the genus were previously in genus Oreopeleia, which was merged into Geotrygon. The crested quail-dove is monotypic.

Male crested quail-doves are 27 to 31 cm (11 to 12 in) long; females are 27 to 30 cm (11 to 12 in). They weigh about 225 g (7.9 oz). Males have a black forehead and a drab brown crown. The nape is gray and has elongated feathers producing the eponymous crest. The back and sides of the neck are metallic bronze or bronze-green. The face is mostly gray with a broad reddish buff malar stripe. The gray continues to the belly; the belly and flanks are chestnut. The upper back and wing coverts are iridescent reddish purple, the mid-back bluish purple, and the lower back and tail greenish black with purple iridescence. The eye is red, surrounded by bare gray skin. Many females look the same as the male, but sometimes they are paler overall and browner on the neck and belly. Juveniles are duller than... Wikipedia →