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Emerald-spotted Wood Dove


Emerald-spotted Wood Dove
Photo Information
Copyright: Anna Eksteen (Miss_Piggy) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 2285 W: 5 N: 5300] (18714)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2009-10-17
Categories: Birds
Camera: Sony Cybershot DSC H9, Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar 15x Optical zoom, Digital ISO 100
Exposure: f/4.5, 1/125 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Travelogue: Kruger NP 2009
Date Submitted: 2013-02-13 7:57
Viewed: 4421
Points: 42
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Emerald-spotted Wood Dove / Turtur chalcospilos

Today I share the Emerald-spotted Wood Dove, number 57 in the series of birds of the Kruger National Park. This is a beautiful bird especially when the emerald coloured spots on its wings shines and are highlighted when the sunlight shines directly onto it. Peter van Zoest shared an image of this lovely dove which he also captured in the Kruger National Park way back in 2005.

The Emerald-spotted Wood Dove is a pigeon which is a widespread and often abundant resident breeding bird in eastern Africa from Ethiopia to South Africa. It also occurs in a belt from northern Botswana west to northern Namibia, and in a narrow coastal strip through Angola to Gabon. This is a species of open drier deciduous woodland and second growth. It is absent from evergreen rainforests and semi desert areas.

The Emerald-spotted Wood Dove is a small plump pigeon, typically 20cm in length. Its back, hindneck, wings and tail are pale grey brown, and the folded wings have green metallic patches. There are blackish bands on the lower back and tail. The forehead, crown and nape are bluish grey, fading to pinkish grey on the throat. The underparts are mauve-pink, becoming whiter on the belly.

The bill of this dove is blackish with a red base. The sexes are similar, but the female may be slightly duller than the male. The immature has duller green spots and buff fringes to the feathers.

The call is in three parts: two soft long coos, followed by a series of slow descending coos lasting 10 seconds, and concluding with 4 seconds of rapid coos, which decrease in volume.

This species shows some geographical variation in plumage, but differences are clinal, and the Emerald-spotted Wood Dove is now considered to be monotypic.

It builds a flimsy stick nest in a tree or shrub, and lays two cream-coloured eggs. Both sexes incubate for 13–17 days to hatching, and feed the squabs for 13–17 days to fledging. Many young birds are taken by mongooses and shrikes.

The Emerald-spotted Wood Dove is not gregarious, but flocks may form at waterholes. This species usually forages on the ground for grass and other small seeds.

In other languages it is known as: Groenvlekduifie (Afrikaans), Smaragdvlekduif (Dutch), Tourtelette émeraudine (French), Bronzeflecktaube (German) and Rola-esmeraldina ([Portuguese). Source

I hope you enjoyed looking at this photo as much as I took pleasure in taking it.
PeterZ, josediogo1958, Marco2010, McQueenca, rousettus, Jakkals, jusninasirun, marius-secan, Argus, CeltickRanger has marked this note useful
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ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To corjan3: Pigeon vs DoveMiss_Piggy 1 02-13 19:26
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • PeterZ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5137 W: 166 N: 13121] (49139)
  • [2013-02-13 8:17]

Hello Anna,
Beautiful close photo of this Smaragdvlekduif. Good sharpness with excellent details in the plumage. Beautiful natural colours and a nice pose with eye contact. The blue head looks a bit strange to me. I've seen this dove in Malawi too, it's a common species.
Regards,
Peter

Hello Anna,
Excellent picture of this Dove with beautiful colour,sharpness and POV.Half blurry BG helps to concentrate on the subject here.I like it.
Kind regards,
Srikumar

Hello Anna!
Wonderful dove species and wonderful capture You did.You had no luck with the light but colours are great as well as the sharpness on focus and the pleasant eye contact.Thank You also for the note.
Have a great day!
Kind regards
J.Diogo

ps: sorry I loose my last smile on the editing critique...

  • Great 
  • senn Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 58 W: 2 N: 155] (1384)
  • [2013-02-13 10:46]

Hi Anna,
what a surprising plumage, .. all detail and colours are captured and rendered effectively, .., I don't remember having crossed this species somewhere in northern Europe, .. TFS it

regards,

Ciao Anne.
Complimenti,veramente bello questo esemplare di colomba mai vista prima con questi colori stupendi,un peccato che non sia in piena luce,eccellente nitidezza e ottimi dettagli bella la composizione .
Ciao Marco.
Grazie della condivisione.

Hello Anna,
Very beautiful and as crisp as we are used to with your images. It seems you use the terms "pigeon" and "dove" interchangeably or do the doves include more than just pigeons? Will try and look it up. I feed the doves here and have a regular contingent of about 30 but have never seen one of these amongst them, so I am sure they do not occur in this part of the Eastern Cape. Once again my congratulations on a very beautiful and, to me, unusual bird even though they seem to be quite common in their area of distribution. Thank you and best wishes.
Neels

Hi Anna
Great capture of this Dove. I really like the pose and composition. You captured good eye contact and a view of his side and back that shows his markings. Good DOV that shows off a nice natural scene. Good sharp detail.
Thanks for sharing
Best wishes
Colin

  •      
  • kinglove Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 783 W: 0 N: 623] (11338)
  • [2013-02-13 21:05]

你好
很美美麗的鴿子
照的清晰 從沒看過這鴿子
很漂亮
謝謝分享
STONE

Hello Anna
Beautiful photo with good composition and very good sharpness. Beautiful bird too!
Regards,
Christodoulos

hallo Anna
Late but i havend yesterday no more smile,s for you

NOW i have
this is a beauty of a dove with great details nice light and beautiful naturel colours
thanks greeting lou

Thank you Anna for this nice well taken picture.
you maneged a ery difficult light with great skill.
sharpness and colour is very perfect.
with best wishes,
samiran.
(Sorry scores runs out today so I did not add 2, very sorry)

  • Great 
  • tuslaw Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2754 W: 282 N: 4931] (19883)
  • [2013-02-15 17:51]

Hello Anna,
I love the gorgeous markings on this pretty little Wood Dove. The iridescent bluish green spots are a real eyecatcher to say the least. It's interesting how much the bird resembles our Mourning doves here in the States, except for those few uniquely colorful markings. The dark bands on it's lower back and tail are also quite attractive. Well done!!
Ron

Hallo Anna
Emerald-spotted Wood Dove is what a pretty Columbid species. It is similar a bit to Namaque Dove with shiny parts of wing and general appearance. You nicely captured it, with nice focus, POV and exposure. Thanks for sharing this beauty. Well done.
Best regards
Ahmet

Hallo Anna,
I have seen them in the wild but were never fortunate to get a good shot at one. Your composition exceeds my wildest dreams with regards to the perfect sharpness, splendid detail, beautiful colors, eye sparkle and excellent low POV! Thanks for sharing your Birds of the KNP with me.
Best regards,
Carl

  • Great 
  • IronM Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 144 W: 3 N: 345] (2608)
  • [2013-02-21 6:49]

Hi Anna,
wonderful photo of this lovely dove, beautiful details and colors, well composed, beautiful natural environment !
Best regards !

Hello Anna,
Nice capture of a beautiful spices with fine details and natural colours.
Thanks and my regards,
Joy

Hello Anna.
The traces of emerald colors are well spotted and the clarity of the image is brilliant. Love the tight framing with superb plumage details. Beautiful work as always and have a great WE.
Kind regards,
Jusni

Hello Anna,
Superb capture with a wonderful bird species. The colors and details are excellent as usual. Very nice composition and POV. Outstanding WB. I like the superb clarity.
Thanks for sharing and for visiting my gallery.
Marius.

Hi Anna,
a nice little emerald dove. I find them not easy to take on picture because they mostly walk on the ground.
You found a very nice pose and show us a nice bird.
best regards
Pierre

Nice new species for my, TFS & best regards Anna
Ferran

  • Great 
  • Argus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5038 W: 260 N: 15594] (50626)
  • [2013-03-29 3:10]

Hello Anna,
You use your Sony compact with great skill to achieve this fine image of the Emerald-spotted Dove in difficult lighting. The result is fine sharpness, nice natural colours and an excellent composition with the natural forest floor BG.
Thanks and enjoy your Easter, you and Loot,
Ivan

Hello Anna

Excellent close-up photo of the Emerald-spotted Wood Dove
with fine POV and framing, the bird and photo being
in back-light you obtained great details of its plumage
and foreground vegetation, TFS

Asbed

  • Great 
  • iti Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 577 W: 0 N: 650] (7939)
  • [2013-04-02 1:30]

Hi Anna,
Interesting dove,fairly well colours and details,nice composition.
Regards Jiri.

Ciao Anna. Fantastic colours resuilts despite the low light. Impressive focuses eye.

Roberto

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