Common Ground-Dove
Columbina passerina
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderColumbiformes (Pigeons and Doves)
- FamilyColumbidae (Pigeons and Doves)
- GenusColumbina (Small Ground Doves)
- SpeciesColumbina passerina (Common Ground-Dove)
About the Common Ground-Dove
The common ground dove (Columbina passerina) is a small bird that inhabits the southern United States, parts of Central America, the Caribbean and northern South America. It is considered to be the smallest dove that inhabits the United States. As its name suggests, the bird spends the majority of its time on the ground, but can still fly.
The common ground dove was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758, in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae. He placed it with all the other pigeons in the genus Columba and coined the binomial name Columba passerina. The specific name passerina is from the Latin passerinus meaning "sparrow-like". The species is now placed with other New World ground-doves in the genus Columbina that was introduced in 1825, by the German naturalist Johann Baptist von Spix. There are nine species in this genus including the Inca dove (Columbina inca) and the scaled dove (Columbina squammata).
There are 17 recognised subspecies: C. p. passerina (Linnaeus, 1758) – the nominate subspecies, southeastern United States C. p. pallescens (Baird, 1860) – southwest United States. Males are paler and females have more white on their... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Common Ground-Dove in Piedras Blancas National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Piedras Blancas National Park
Ruddy Ground-Dove
Columbina talpacoti
Inca Dove
Columbina inca
Plain-breasted Ground-Dove
Columbina minuta
White-tipped Dove
Leptotila verreauxi
Short-billed Pigeon
Patagioenas nigrirostris
Pale-vented Pigeon
Patagioenas cayennensis
Gray-chested Dove
Leptotila cassinii
Blue Ground-Dove
Claravis pretiosa
Ruddy Quail-Dove
Geotrygon montana
White-winged Dove
Zenaida asiatica
Scaled Pigeon
Patagioenas speciosa
Band-tailed Pigeon
Patagioenas fasciata
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Common Ground-Dove in Piedras Blancas National Park?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Common Ground-Dove sighting in Piedras Blancas National Park, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Common Ground-Dove in Piedras Blancas National Park?
January has the highest sighting rate for Common Ground-Dove in Piedras Blancas National Park in our monthly data.