Namaqua Dove ( Oena capensis, family: columbidae)

namaquadove kruger national park birds The Namaqua Dove (Latin name Oena capensis) is described in Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique Roberts number of 356 and you will find a full description of this bird on page 289 also a picture of the Namaqua Dove on page 273. The Namaqua Dove belongs to the family of birds classified as columbidae. According to the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology the Namaqua Dove is also known by these other names: Long-tailed Dove, Cape Dove, Masked Dove, Harlequin Dove.

The map of the Kruger you see on this page shows the areas (coloured orange) where this bird has been identified. The basic information was provided by the Avian Demographic Unit based at UCT and I created the maps from that information ... the green dots show the locations of the various Kruger National Park Rest Camps

The Namaqua Dove is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park. It is however a common resident

In terms of distribution of the Namaqua Dove in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Namaqua Dove : see above distribution map.

The Namaqua Dove.

Namaqua Dove Kruger ParkIdentification assistance for this avian species ...

The Namaqua Dove is a bird about the same size as a starling. The height of the Namaqua Dove is about 27 cms and its weight is about 40 gms

You will find that the male Namaqua Dove plumage and colours are different to that of the female Namaqua Dove

  • Head is black.
  • Eye is brown.
  • Bill is grey.
  • Throat is black.
  • Back is grey, brown.
  • Legs are grey.

This bird has normally proportioned leg length.

Main diet items for this bird ...

The Namaqua Dove feeds on the ground mainly

Seeds

Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...

The Namaqua Dove is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Oena capensis will seek out a new mate

The nesting habit of Namaqua Dove is to create the nest in branches of a tree or shrub. The bird lays eggs which are cream in colour and number between 1 to 2

Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...

The preferred habitats for Namaqua Dove are: woodlands and arid areas

You will not see Namaqua Dove in flocks. The bird prefers to act singly or in pairs.

Names of this avian species in other languages ...

Xhosa ... Ihotyazana

Zulu ... isiKhombazane-senkangala/uNkombose

Afrikaans ...Namakwaduifie

German ... Kaptubchen

Portuguese ... Rola-rabilonga

French ... Tourtelette masque

Dutch ... Maskerduif

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For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...

Robert's 7th edition number ... 356

The main reference source for this data was "Roberts - Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition" . Other references were "Newmans Birds of the Kruger Park" by Keith Newman published circa 1980 . Names in foreign languages were obtained from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town website , www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za