Sapphire Quail-Dove

About the Sapphire Quail-Dove

The sapphire quail-dove (Geotrygon saphirina) is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. At one time the sapphire quail-dove included what is now the purple quail-dove as a subspecies; the larger species was then named Osculatia saphirina. Since the early 2010s the purple quail-dove has been treated as a separate species. The sapphire quail-dove now has two subspecies, the nominate G. s. saphirina and G. s. rothschildi.

The sapphire quail-dove is 22 to 26 cm (8.7 to 10.2 in) long and weighs 139 to 199 g (4.9 to 7.0 oz). The male of the nominate subspecies has a white forehead, throat, and small patch below the eye. It has a conspicuous, long, purple-black malar stripe. Its dark bluish gray crown becomes bronzy green on the nape; below that is an iridescent patch of green, gold, and purplish pink. The back and wing coverts are purple-brown and the rump iridescent greenish or purplish blue. The central tail feathers are slaty black and the outer ones are blackish with blue-gray tips. The closed wing shows an elongated white spot. The breast is pale gray fading to white on the belly... Wikipedia →