Grenada Dove - National Bird of Grenada

Overview on the Grenada Dove

The Grenada Dove (Leptotila wellsi), is found only on Grenada. Originally known as the Pea Dove[1] or Well's Dove,[2] it is the National Bird of Grenada. It is considered to be one of the most critically endangered doves in the world (Bird Life International 2000).

Description

The Grenada Dove is characterised by a white throat; face and forehead pale pink shading to dull brown on crown and nape; upperparts olive brown; underwing chestnut; neck and upper breast pink-buff fading to white on lower breast, belly and undertail coverts.

Conservation

In 1996, parts of Mt Hartman and Perseverance were declared a national park and a protected area, respectively. The pre-hurricane Ivan population increase may be in part the result of the protection of critical dove habitat areas. A recovery plan was drafted in 1997. In 1999, a workshop to develop a 4-year GEF-funded Dry Forest Biodiversity Conservation Project was drafted based on stakeholder input.

Interesting Facts

• When a Grenada Dove is flushed from a perch, it will fly to the ground and walk away. It likely evolved without ground predators, which now include mongoose, rats, and feral cats.
• No Grenada Doves have been seen outside the forest nor flying above the forest canopy. They are possibly isolated to the patches of remaining habitat. Dispersal patterns are not yet known.
• Within the forest, flight has only been observed from one perch to another, from a perch to the ground and from the ground to a tree. All other observations have been of doves walking on the ground. During the non-breeding season at Mt. Hartman, a pair of doves was observed walking side-by-side.
• The Mt. Hartman National Park was established by the Government of Grenada in 1996 to ensure the protection of the endemic Grenada Dove in one of the key habitats for the bird on the island. The National Park has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA) for the Grenada Dove.
• Grenada Dove is listed by BirdLife International, the official Red List Authority for birds for the IUCN Red List, as Critically Endangered. As such it faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. For an up-to-date species account of the Grenada Dove, its population and distributions; visit the BirdLife World Bird.