Family Pigeons, Doves (Columbidae)
Least Concern
Bridled Quail-dove (Geotrygon mystacea)
Taxonomy
French: Colombe à croissants German: Schnurrbarttaube Spanish: Paloma perdiz de Martinica
Taxonomy:
Columba mystacea
Temminck
, 1811,Caribbean
.Like most of congeners, formerly placed in genus Oreopeleia. Probably closely related to G. chrysia. Races proposed include sabae (Saba) and beattyi (St Croix). Monotypic.
Distribution:
Puerto Rico and Virgin Is through most of Lesser Antilles from Saba and Barbuda S to St Lucia (absent from Anguilla, Barbados, St Vincent, Grenadines and Grenada); recently recorded in St Martin#R.
Descriptive notes
Male 24–30 cm, female 27·5 cm; 230 g. Similar to G. chrysia in appearance but duller and darker, with dark olive brown upperparts, and chestnut... read more
Voice
Advertising call is a repeated, single, low-pitched cooing note (duration c. 1–1·5 seconds, pitch c... read more
Habitat
Lowland woodland and rain forest up to 700 m; appears to prefer drier localities than G.... read more
Food and feeding
Feeds on seeds and snails. Forages on the ground.
Breeding
Peak breeding in May–Jul, with lesser peak in Oct–Dec. Nest placed low in undergrowth; several flimsy nests of twigs with a few... read more
Movements
Mainly resident; vagrants have been recorded on Culebra (off E Puerto Rico).
Status and conservation
Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Rare and local resident in Puerto Rico, notably in Vieques Naval Reserve and hills S of Arecibo. Possibly extirpated from St Croix,... read more
St. Lucia
The reference to only "three records since 1930's." on St. Lucia is incorrect. A quick check of eBird and xeno-canto will show that this species is well-documented on St. Lucia.
Thank you for pointing that
Thank you for pointing that out, Motmot. The text has been changed to reflect that.