About
So few individuals have been observed in the last two decades that the Purple-winged Ground-dove’s long-term survival is now in question.
They were once relatively common, with historical reports of flocks of almost 100 individuals. Despite considerable efforts only two records are known from recent years. This nomadic, bamboo-seed specialist ground-dove appears to survive in very low numbers, moving among patches of flowering bamboos within the highly fragmented Atlantic forest in South America. The male has slate-blue plumage and deep maroon banding on his wings. The female is a much duller brown in colour. The birds apparently once followed the multi-annual flowering cycles of mast-seeding bamboos in the Atlantic forest of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, travelling from patch to patch as the bamboos flowered and died. However, the Atlantic forest has diminished rapidly over the last century with thousands of square kilometres being cleared for plantations and infrastructure, which has interrupted the natural movements of this ground-dove among flowering bamboo patches.
- Order: Columbiformes
- Family: Columbidae
- Population: 70-400
- Trend: decreasing
- Size: 18-23cm
EDGE Score
Distribution
This species has been found in areas of the Atlantic Forest in Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay.
Habitat and Ecology
This species’ is found in the Atlantic forest, especially in flowering bamboo stands. The birds travel nomadically within the Atlantic forest region, following flowering events of bamboos. Many of these bamboo plants exhibit long-term flowering cycles of up to 30 years, as such, individual ground-doves must travel often to find plants producing seeds. They have been found alone, in pairs, or in flocks of up to 100.