Bird Guide

Grey-headed Dove vs Pallid Dove

Grey-headed Dove (Leptotila plumbeiceps)

Grey-headed Dove

Leptotila plumbeiceps

Medium170 gForest

The grey-headed dove is 23.5 to 26 cm (9.3 to 10.2 in) long and weighs 139 to 205 g (4.9 to 7.2 oz). The adult male of the nominate subspecies has a pale bluish gray forehead and a slightly darker crown, nape, upper mantle, and sides of the neck. The rest of the face is pinkish buff. The throat and belly are white and the breast is pale pink. The upperparts are olive brown with a rufous wash. The central tail feathers are dark olive brown and the outer three are black with white tips. The bill is black and the legs and feet are pink. Voice: The grey-headed dove's song is "a single mournful monotonous note 'wooOOOoo' which fades in and out."

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Tommy Andriollo · CC BY 4.0
Pallid Dove (Leptotila pallida)

Pallid Dove

Leptotila pallida

Medium123 gForest

The pallid dove is 23 to 26 cm (9.1 to 10.2 in) long. The male has a white forehead, face, and throat, a gray crown, and a purplish gray nape and hindneck. The sides of the neck and the breast are pale red and the belly white. Its upperparts are chestnut-brown with some chestnut-red markings. The hindneck and upper mantle have some purple iridescence. The outer tail feathers are dark chestnut with white tips. The eye is yellow and surrounded by bare red skin. The bill is black and the legs and feet pinkish red to brownish red. Voice: The pallid dove's song is "a single mournful monotonous note 'wooOOOoo' which fades in and out" and is very similar to that of the grey-fronted dove.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Anna Hess · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Grey-headed Dove and Pallid Dove.