The Namaqua dove (Oena capensis) is a very small species of pigeon. It is the only species in the genus Oena. It is found over much of Sub-Saharan Africa as well as Arabia and Madagascar.

Taxonomy

The Namaqua dove is the only species in the monotypic genus Oena. It is most closely related to doves in the genus Turtur, and some phylogenetic evidence suggests that Oena may be a part of Turtur.

In 1760 the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included a description of the Namaqua dove in his six volume Ornithologie based on a specimen collected near the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. He used the French name La tourterelle du Cap de Bonne Espérance and the Latin Turtur capitis bonae spei. Although Brisson coined Latin names, these do not conform to the binomial system and are not recognised by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. When in 1766 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the twelfth edition, he added 240 species that had been previously described by Brisson. The specific name capensis denotes the Cape of Good Hope.

The Namaqua dove is placed in its own genus Oena that was introduced by the English naturalist William Swainson in 1837. The genus name is from the Ancient Greek oinas meaning "pigeon". Alternative names for the Namaqua dove include Cape dove and long-tailed dove.

Subspecies

Two subspecies are recognised: In India, the first and second records were in Gujarat in 2018 and 2020; subsequently the species has been observed multiple times around Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary in Gujarat.

thumb|A male Namaqua dove foraging at Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary in India

Behaviour

The Namaqua dove is quite terrestrial, and usually forages on open ground and roadsides. The food is almost exclusively minute seeds, such as those of grasses, sedges and weeds. It is not gregarious, being encountered singly or in pairs, though they may form larger flocks at waterholes. The flight is fast with clipped beats and a tendency to stay low.

Breeding

It builds a stick nest in a bush. It lays two white eggs, which are incubated for 16 days in typical pigeon fashion; the female at night and early morning and the male from mid morning till late afternoon.

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Tourterelle masquée MHNT.jpg|

Namaqua dove, Oena capensis, at Mapungubwe National Park, Limpopo, South Africa (17902914729).jpg|

Namaqua dove, Oena capensis, at Mapungubwe National Park, Limpopo, South Africa (17468688103), crop.jpg|

Namaqua dove (Oena capensis) male.jpg|

Namaqua dove (Oena capensis aliena) male perched at night.jpg|

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References

  • Namaqua dove - Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds
  • Namaqua dove Structured guide to the species in southern Africa