PIGEONS 143 



GENUS COLUMBIGALUNA. 



320a. Columbigallina passerina pallescens (Baird). MEX- 

 ICAN GROUND DOVE. 



Wings short and broad, with elongated inner secondaries nearly over- 

 reaching primaries in the folded wing 1 ; tail shorter than wing,, nearly even, 

 of twelve broad feathers ; tarsus as long as middle toe without claw. 

 Adult male: back of head and neck bluish, feathers 

 suggesting scales ; forehead, sides of head, and 

 under parts pinkish ; breast feathers brown cen- 

 trally ; upper parts grayish, wings with inner webs Fig. 210. 

 of quills bright reddish brown, coverts with blue 



black spots ; tail nearly even, blackish, except for middle feathers and 

 white corners. Adult female : similar but much duller, pink replaced by 

 pale brownish, blue by brownish gray ; spots on wing coverts brown. 

 Young : like female but duller, more grayish ; feathers, especially on upper 

 parts, tipped with whitish. Wing : 3.30-3.60, exposed culmen .42-.47. 



Distribution. Breeds in Lower Sonoran and Tropical zones from Texas 

 to Arizona and south through Lower California and other parts of Mexico 

 to Central America. 



Nest. Small and sometimes compact, of twigs or plant stalks, some- 

 times lined with a few straws, placed in a bush or tree 3 to 20 feet from 

 the ground. Eggs : 2, usually white. 



Food. Small seeds, grain, and berries. 



The ground dove is a friendly little bird, staying wherever it can 

 find seeds or refuse grain, whether it be in town streets, horse cor- 

 rals, or on the picket line of an army post. In the fall, when weed 

 seeds are abundant, Mr. Herbert Brown has seen flocks of fifty about 

 Tucson, Arizona, but ordinarily they are in pairs or small flocks. 



GENUS SCARDAFELLA. 



321. Scardafella inca (Less.). INCA DOVE. 



Tail double rounded, middle and outside feathers both shorter than 

 those between, twelve in number, all narrow and tapering ; tarsus very 

 short, slightly feathered above. Adults : whole 

 body apparently scaled,- upper parts brownish; 

 inner webs of wing quills mainly reddish brown ; 

 tail brown and black, two outer feathers largely 

 white ; under parts pale grayish pink, changing to buff on belly ; under 

 wing coverts partly black. Young : similar but duller, and upper parts 

 somewhat mottled by occasional whitish tips to feathers. Length : 8.00, 

 wing 3.70-3.75, tail 4.00-4.40. 



Distribution. Breeds in Lower Sonoran zone from the Rio Grande 

 valley of Texas and southern Arizona ; south through Lower California 

 and other parts of Mexico to Nicaragua. 



Nest. In cactus, mesquite, acacias, or small oaks, 5 to 10 feet from 

 the ground, made of twigs and grasses. Eggs : 2, white. 



These dainty little doves are more than half civilized. You find 

 them on the roads, in the barnyard, the orchard, and the village 

 street rarely away from ground trampled by man. They join 

 the poultry at breakfast, and pick the grain that is scattered along 



