Namaqua Dove vs Red-moustached Fruit-dove

Oena capensis compared with Ptilinopus mercierii

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Namaqua Dove Red-moustached Fruit-dove
Scientific Name Oena capensis Ptilinopus mercierii
Order Columbiformes Columbiformes
Family Columbidae Columbidae
Conservation Status Least Concern Extinct
Length
Wingspan 20.5 cm (8.1 in)
Weight 39.333333333333336 g (1.39 oz)
Diet -- --
Clutch Size 2 --
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

None

Namaqua Dove only

Red-moustached Fruit-dove only

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Song & Call Comparison

Namaqua Dove

Song

Soft, gentle cooing with Namaqua charm; delicate pure notes typical of African dry open savanna and scrub.

Red-moustached Fruit-dove

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Conservation Status

Least Concern

Namaqua Dove

Extinct

Red-moustached Fruit-dove

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How to Tell Them Apart

Namaqua Dove

Plumage

Diamond Dove: pale gray; white-spotted wings; red orbital ring; pale below; tiny; common Australian dove; spotted wings

Red-moustached Fruit-dove

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About These Birds

Namaqua Dove

Very small, long-tailed dove, 22–26 cm; male has a black face and bill contrasting with white underparts and grey-brown wings. Found across Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and Madagascar in open arid and semi-arid habitats, including desert scrub, dry savanna, and farmland. Granivore of tiny seeds. Least Concern.

Red-moustached Fruit-dove

Red-moustached Fruit-dove (Ptilinopus mercierii), 27 cm. Green with a red moustachial streak and orange underparts; endemic to the Marquesas Islands. Last confirmed on Nuku Hiva and Hiva Oa. Possibly Extinct; last reliably recorded in the 1970s. Threatened by introduced rats and cats.

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