Zebra Dove

The Zebra Dove, belonging to the Columbidae family, is a tiny but very pretty dove. It is even the smallest among the other doves of its species. It is similar to the Peaceful Dove but its colors are brighter. The back of the head, the back, the wings, the rump and the tail are light gray-brown decorated with thin brown stripes that characterize it. The flanks and the chest are white-gray, zebra-striped too. A wide rosy chamois band starts from the throat and goes down to the lower abdomen while widening. This part remains unified. The forehead, the throat and the cheeks are light blue gray matching the color of the blue iris. The beak and the wax are blue-gray, the legs pink. A pale blue skin starts from the base of the beak and goes around the eye. In flight, the white edges of the rectrices are clearly visible. The male and the female are strictly identical. The juveniles look like the adults but with paler colors.