Animalia Life
Oena capensis
SUBFAMILY
Columbinae
TAXONOMY
Columba capensis Linnaeus, 1766, Cape of Good Hope, South
Africa. Two subspecies.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: Cape dove, long-tailed dove; French: Tourtelette
masquee; German: Kaptдubchen; Spanish: Tortolita Rabilarga.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
11 in (28 cm); 1–1.9 oz (28–54 g). Sexual dimorphism. The
male has an orange bill and a black mask-like marking on face
and throat.
DISTRIBUTION
Sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, and parts of Arabia. At the
northern border it expands to Israel. In 1961, first bred in the
Negev.
HABITAT
Savannas.
BEHAVIOR
Intertropical migrant.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Feeds on the ground; various seeds and fallen fruits, also insects
and snails.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Nest in low bushes lined with grass.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not threatened.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Frequently kept as pets.
Photo Gallery of - Namaqua dove
