Grey-fronted Dove

Sighting
This was one of only two or three sightings of Grey-fronted Dove in Trinidad. It was found sitting on a nest alongside the main road and the use of a telephoto lens makes it appear much closer that it was in fact.

Species
Grey-fronted Dove Leptotila rufaxilla inhabits humid forest and woodland. It builds a large stick nest in a bush or on a stump and lays two white eggs. It is usually seen singly or in pairs, and is rather wary. Its flight is fast and direct with regular beats and clattering of the wings. Its food is mainly seeds obtained by foraging on the ground, but it will also take insects. Information on this species states that it has a red eye-ring which is not evident on this bird.

Status and distribution
It is a species of least concern with a stable population in its large breeding range of some fourteen million square kilometres. It is a resident breeder in South America from Colombia, Venezuela and the Guyanas south to north-east Argentina and Uruguay. It is an uncommon and widespread resident on Trinidad but absent on Tobago. There are six subspecies of which L. r. hellmayri is found on Trinidad as well as north-east Venezuela.

References
Asa Wright Centre; BirdLife; Wikipedia; World Bird Names; Kenefick, M., Restall, R., and Hayes, F. (2015) Birds of Trinidad and Tobago, Bloomsbury Publishing, page 140.

Photograph
On the nest in very dark forest at 1/160th of a second, f5.6 and ISO 4000