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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