Bird Guide

Peaceful Dove vs Zebra Dove

Peaceful Dove (Geopelia placida)

Peaceful Dove

Geopelia placida

Small48 gWoodland

The bird is a relatively small pigeon and varies in length from 19 to 21 centimetres (7.6 to 8.4 inches). The peaceful dove has a pink-grey breast with chequered grey-brown wings. Thin striations of black appear around the neck and nape area and descend down the back. The eye is greyish-white and a blue-grey ring surrounds the eye that tapers off and joins the beak/cere. The juveniles are paler and less striated. They also have a duller eye ring.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: gailhampshire from Cradley, Malvern, U.K · CC BY 2.0
Zebra Dove (Geopelia striata)

Zebra Dove

Geopelia striata

Small57 gWoodland

The birds are small and slender with a long, narrow tail. The upperparts are brownish-grey with black-and-white barring. The underparts are pinkish with black bars on the sides of the neck, breast and belly. The face is blue-grey with bare blue skin around the eyes. There are white tips to the tail feathers. Juveniles are duller and paler than the adults. They can also have brown feathers. Zebra doves are 20–23 centimetres in length with a wingspan of 24–26 cm. Their call is a series of soft, staccato cooing notes.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: Derek Paulo · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: ImagePerson · 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: Peaceful Dove and Zebra Dove.