Dusky Turtle Dove

The dusky turtle dove or pink-breasted turtle dove (Streptopelia lugens) is a species of bird in the family Columbidae.

 The dusky turtle dove is a very dark or slaty gray dove, generally 28–30 centimeters long and 120–205 grams.

It has a gray face slightly paler than the body, conspicuous black patches on sides of the neck, and wing coverts and tertials with pale brown or rufous edges. Its eye is orange or orange-yellow with a purplish eye-ring. Its bill is purplish slate-gray. Its legs are red. Juvenile birds are paler and browner than adults.

Distribution and habitat: The dusky turtle dove is found in East Africa and South Arabia: Eritrea, Somalia, southern Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Yemen (disjunctive population), and southern Saudi Arabia (disjunctive population).

It inhabits the Afrotropical Highlands Biome: in montane forest, forest edge, and woodland garden, between 1,800 and 3,200 meters in elevation.

Ecology and behavior: The dusky turtle dove’s diet consists of seeds, insects, and mollusks, foraged from the ground. It is active during the day (diurnal) and is usually solitary or in a small group (up to 10).

The dusky turtle dove is socially monogamous. The female probably builds the nest, a loose platform of twigs lined with rootlets, usually in a tree, often a juniper, 2-3 meters above the ground. The clutch is usually 2 eggs. Both male and female incubate the eggs (20 days) and tend the nestlings (possibly 14–16 days).