• Crested quail-dove

    Crested quail-dove

    Geotrygon versicolor

    The crested quail-dove is only found in Jamaica. The exact number of animals living there is unknown, but it is assumed that their population is declining. This is mainly due to the loss of their habitat as a result of the expansion of agricultural land.
    Most pigeon species have gray, bluish or brown plumage. Only very few species are truly colorful. The Jamaican earth pigeon is one of the more colorful pigeon species.

    Classification Columbidae (doves and pigeons, approx. 300 species), quail-doves (15 species)
    Habitat Moist forest with dense undergrowth up to 2200 meters above sea level
    Bird migration Location fidelity
    Social structure Solitary, in pairs
    Food Seeds (castor bean tree), small fruits, snails, insects, insect larvae; chicks are fed with crop milk. These are tissue cells that detach in the crop of the parents and are given to the young in the form of "milk".
    Food On the ground, rarely flies (usually only on a branch on a roosting tree)
    Weight Approx. 225 g
    Body length Approx. 30 cm
    Clutch 1 to 2 eggs
    Nest Fragile, self-built platform up to one meter above the ground
    Brooding animals Both partners
    Brooding duration Approx. 13 days
    Life expectancy Unknown
    Use Meat, pet trade (caged bird)
    Current population Unknown, not common, decreasing
    In Zurich Zoo since 1988

    Distribution

    Verbreitungskarte Jamaika-Erdtaube

    Sponsors

    M. Meierhofer, Mellingen
    M. Christen, Zürich
    T. Uzuner, Glattpark Opfikon
    R. Emmenegger, Ebikon
    A. Märki, Männedorf
    S. Dürr, Rietheim
    Become a Sponsor

    Price for a sponsorship: CHF 100.–

    Conservation status

    IUCN RedList