Namaqua Dove

The Namaqua dove is a very small pigeon, about 22 cm long with a wingspan of 28–33 cm and a weight of about 40 g, and the only member of its genus. It has a very long, black, tapered tail, and its size and shape have led to comparisons with the budgerigar. The plumage is mostly grey with a white belly and chestnut primaries visible in flight, and the adult male has a yellow and red beak and a black face, throat and breast (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is found over much of sub-Saharan Africa, Arabia and Madagascar. In India the first and second records were in Gujarat, in 2018 and 2020, and it has since been seen several times around Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary. It builds a stick nest in a bush and lays two white eggs, incubated for 16 days, the female at night and early morning and the male from mid-morning to late afternoon. Its song is a quiet double hoo, mournful and often repeated. SoIB 2023 lists it as a winter migrant of open habitat that eats plants and seeds, and does not assign a priority category (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).