African Lemon Dove

African Lemon Dove

Columba larvata

Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Kruger National Park
14 Verified sightings at Kruger National Park From 2019 to 2026
980 Verified sightings across all 27 parks From 2019 to 2026
November Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ 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 Kruger National Park

Speckled Pigeon
LC

Speckled Pigeon

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Columba guinea

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Rameron Pigeon
LC

Rameron Pigeon

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Columba arquatrix

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Cape Turtle Dove
LC

Cape Turtle Dove

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Streptopelia capicola

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely
LADO

LADO

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Spilopelia senegalensis

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove
LC

Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Turtur chalcospilos

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
African Green Pigeon
LC

African Green Pigeon

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Treron calvus

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Red-eyed Dove
LC

Red-eyed Dove

☀️🌙 Day & Night Bird

Streptopelia semitorquata

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
African Mourning Dove
LC

African Mourning Dove

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Streptopelia decipiens

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Namaqua Dove
LC

Namaqua Dove

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Oena capensis

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Tambourine Dove
LC

Tambourine Dove

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Turtur tympanistria

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

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

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a African Lemon Dove in Kruger National Park?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a African Lemon Dove sighting in Kruger National Park, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see African Lemon Dove in Kruger National Park?

November has the highest sighting rate for African Lemon Dove in Kruger National Park in our monthly data.

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