Afep Pigeon vs Sapphire Quail-Dove

Columba unicincta compared with Geotrygon saphirina

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Afep Pigeon Sapphire Quail-Dove
Scientific Name Columba unicincta Geotrygon saphirina
Order Columbiformes Columbiformes
Family Columbidae Columbidae
Conservation Status Least Concern Least Concern
Length — —
Wingspan 42.2 cm (16.6 in) 27.3 cm (10.7 in)
Weight 401.5 g (14.16 oz) 171.2 g (6.04 oz)
Diet -- --
Clutch Size 1 1-2
Population Trend — —

Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

Afep Pigeon only

None

Sapphire Quail-Dove only

None

Song & Call Comparison

Afep Pigeon

Song

Deep, resonant cooing; rich notes with carrying quality through dense humid African forest. Vocalization pattern typical of this species in its native habitat.

Sapphire Quail-Dove

Song

Soft, cooing with sapphire quality; pure warm notes through dense humid Caribbean island forest floor.

Conservation Status

Least Concern

Afep Pigeon

Least Concern

Sapphire Quail-Dove

How to Tell Them Apart

Afep Pigeon

Plumage

Afep Pigeon: pale gray; white neck gloss; dark flight feathers; large size; Central African rainforest pigeon; pale overall

Sapphire Quail-Dove

About These Birds

Afep Pigeon

Afep Pigeon (Columba unicincta) — 36–40 cm. Large; dark grey; single narrow black ring on hindneck; pale grey rump. Inhabits canopy of rainforest in West and Central Africa. Frugivore; feeds on forest fruits. Poorly known; an upper-canopy species seldom studied at close range.

Sapphire Quail-Dove

Small, 24–27 cm, quail-dove with brilliant sapphire-blue iridescence on the crown and nape, contrasting with rufous-brown upperparts and a white facial stripe. Inhabits lowland and foothill humid forest from eastern Colombia and Peru to the Guianas and northern Brazil. Terrestrial forager of seeds. Least Concern.

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