Birdfinding.info ⇒ Locally common but inconspicuous and easy to miss across much of its range. In Cuba, it is remarkably observable at Cueva del Jabali on Cayo Coco, where the local population is habituated to humans, and is also seen regularly in the Zapata Swamp area. In the D.R., it is seen most often in “Quail-Dove Alley” on the Rabo de Gato Trail. In Puerto Rico, it is regularly found in all the western state forests, especially Cambalache, Guajataca, Guánica, and Susúa. In the Bahamas, it is uncommon overall, but locally numerous on northern and central Abaco and some adjacent keys. On Andros, Maiden Hair Coppice is a consistent site.
Key West Quail-Dove
Geotrygon chrysia
Endemic to the Bahamas and Greater Antilles: Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and some adjacent islands, including North Caicos, Gonâve, and Vieques. Mostly absent from the southern Bahamas and patchy on Cuba and Hispaniola. Its preferred habitats are dry coastal scrub and deciduous woodlands, but it also occur locally in humid forest.
Status in Florida. As its name suggests, the Key West Quail-Dove was originally described from a specimen taken at Key West, and it reportedly bred in the Florida Keys until the mid-1800s. Then for over a century its occurrence in Florida was limited to a few isolated vagrants. Starting in the 1990s, the frequency of detections increased sharply, with records spanning from Palm Beach to Marathon. Some of these individuals have remained for months or years and nesting has been suspected more than once. Its occurrence has remained sporadic though, and eventual recolonization of Florida seems possible but not imminent.
Identification
Warm-brown-to-rufous upperparts infused with multicolored iridescence, mostly grayish underparts, and a strikingly bold white whisker stripe.
Key West Quail-Dove, with rich rufous upperpartse. (Cueva del Jabalí, Cayo Coco, Cuba; March 16, 2018.) © Rafael G. Sanchez
The iridescence is typically greenish or turquoise on the cap and nape and rose-pink or coppery on the mantle. It sometimes shows a purple transition between the colors of the nape and mantle.
Key West Quail-Dove, sporting a portable rainbow of iridescence. (Cueva del Jabalí, Cayo Coco, Cuba; March 22, 2013.) © GandO
Key West Quail-Dove, showing typical coloration. (Cueva del Jabalí, Cayo Coco, Cuba; March 4, 2019.) © Dave Curtis
Key West Quail-Dove. (Cueva del Jabalí, Cayo Coco, Cuba; March 13, 2016.) © Klaus Ewald
Key West Quail-Dove, showing maximum rufous and coppery tones on upperparts. (Cueva del Jabalí, Cayo Coco, Cuba; February 28, 2018.) © Arco Huang
Key West Quail-Dove, showing typical iridescence. (Cueva del Jabalí, Cayo Coco, Cuba; April 28, 2017.) © Dave Wendelken
Key West Quail-Dove. (Cueva del Jabalí, Cayo Coco, Cuba; March 4, 2019.) © Dave Curtis
Key West Quail-Dove, with rich rufous upperparts. (Cueva del Jabalí, Cayo Coco, Cuba; February 28, 2018.) © Arco Huang
Key West Quail-Dove. (Cueva del Jabalí, Cayo Coco, Cuba; February 28, 2017.) © Jukka Jantunen
Key West Quail-Dove, showing vivid iridescence. (Ciénaga de Zapata National Park, Cuba; March 14, 2015.) © Morten Venas
Key West Quail-Dove, fully inflated. (Cueva del Jabalí, Cayo Coco, Cuba; March 17, 2018.) © Arturo Kirkconnell Jr.
Key West Quail-Dove, showing coppery iridescence on mantle. (Leon Levy Native Plant Perserve, Eleuthera, Bahamas; April 11, 2019.) © Jim Merritt
Key West Quail-Dove—note bright rufous tail. (El Baga Park, Cayo Coco, Cuba, Cuba; March 29, 2010.) © Mark Dennis
Key West Quail-Dove, ventral view showing whitish underparts and rufous upperparts. (Rabo de Gato Trail, Dominican Republic; April 19, 2008.) © Miguel A. Landestoy T.
Key West Quail-Dove, showing grayish underparts and rosy mantle. (Cambalache State Forest, Puerto Rico; March 20, 2016.) © Matthew Sabatine
Key West Quail-Dove, with muted coloration—likely immature. (Rabo de Gato Trail, Dominican Republic; April 13, 2019.) © Juan Alberto Tavares
Key West Quail-Dove, on nest. (Francisco Alberto Caamaño Park, Dominican Republic; August 4, 2013.) © Dax M. Román E.
Key West Quail-Dove. (Rabo de Gato Trail, Dominican Republic; April 14, 2018.) © Dax M. Román E.
Key West Quail-Dove, dorsal view. (Cayo Coco, Cuba; April 22, 2017.) © Jonathan Sequeira
Key West Quail-Dove. (Cueva del Jabalí, Cayo Coco, Cuba; February 7, 2017.) © Tresa Moulton
Immatures are duller overall, more neutral brown, and more easily confused with other species. The iridescence starts to appear during the first year.
Key West Quail-Dove, likely immature. (Cueva del Jabalí, Cayo Coco, Cuba; April 28, 2017.) © Dave Wendelken
Key West Quail-Dove, immature—note the brownish tone of the breast and freshly-grown feathers—showing iridescence on the crown and mantle. (Cueva del Jabalí, Cayo Coco, Cuba; February 28, 2017.) © Jukka Jantunen
Key West Quail-Dove, immature. (Charles Deering Estate, Miami, Florida; January 1, 2015.) © Nathan Langwald
Key West Quail-Dove, immature—note the brownish tone of the breast. (Cueva del Jabalí, Cayo Coco, Cuba; April 9, 2018.) © Michael J. Good
Key West Quail-Dove, likely immature. (Soplillar, Matanzas, Cuba; February 14, 2016.) © Joshua D. Vandermeulen
Key West Quail-Dove, immature. (Cueva del Jabalí, Cayo Coco, Cuba; January 23, 2017.) © Greg Baker
Voice. Low, mournful, haunting whoo’s that wax and wane, each lasting a second or more, usually given at intervals of three to five seconds:
Cf. Bridled Quail-Dove. Key West and Bridled Quail-Doves overlap to some extent on Vieques and Puerto Rico—and as both species sometimes move between islands, occasional overlap elsewhere is also possible. On Vieques they have distinct habitat preferences: Key West is found in “evergreen scrub and palmetto forest” at low elevations, and Bridled in “moist fan palm forest” on the island’s highest peaks. (Gemmill 2015)
Key West is recognized by its grayish underparts (including the breast and throat), and reddish brown back and wings. In adequate light, Key West shows more extensive iridescence: greenish on the cap and nape, transitioning to pinkish purple on the upper back and wings. Bridled’s iridescence is dimmer and usually appears as a cape that varies from greenish to violet-purple.
Their vocalizations differ: Bridled calls in polysyllabic phrases, whereas Key West gives single-note calls, and Bridled’s voice is somewhat higher-pitched.
Cf. Ruddy Quail-Dove. Key West and Ruddy Quail-Doves occur together over most of the Greater Antilles. Unless seen clearly they are easily confused as the upperparts of both species can appear either predominantly reddish or plain brown.
The most consistent differences are the whisker stripe (crisp, bold white in Key West versus blurred and buffy in Ruddy) and underparts coloration (mostly grayish in Key West versus buffy, orange, or brown in Ruddy).
Ruddy Quail-Dove is also distinguishable by its peculiar head profile (the forehead tapers evenly to the tip of the bill, giving it a snout-like appearance) and a pale bar at the side of the breast (but this feature is often concealed by the folded wing).
Notes
Monotypic species.
References
Baptista, L.F., P.W. Trail, H.M. Horblit, G.M. Kirwan, and P. Boesman. 2019. Key West Quail-dove (Geotrygon chrysia). In Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D.A. Christie, and E. de Juana, eds.). Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. https://www.hbw.com/node/54252. (Accessed September 11, 2019.)
BirdLife International 2016. Geotrygon chrysia. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T22690954A93296142. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22690954A93296142.en. (Accessed September 11, 2019.)
eBird. 2019. eBird: An online database of bird distribution and abundance. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, N.Y. http://www.ebird.org. (Accessed September 11, 2019.)
Garrido, O.H, and A. Kirkconnell. 2000. Field Guide to the Birds of Cuba. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, N.Y.
Gemmill, D. 2015. Birds of Vieques Island, Puerto Rico: Status, Abundance, and Conservation. Special issue of The Journal of Caribbean Ornithology, BirdsCaribbean, Scholarly & Specialized Publishing, Charlottesville, Virginia.
Gibbs, D., E. Barnes, and J. Cox. 2001. Pigeons and Doves: A Guide to the Pigeons and Doves of the World. Yale University Press, New Haven, Connecticut.
Howell, S.N.G., I. Lewington, and W. Russell. 2014. Rare Birds of North America. Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J.
Latta, S., C. Rimmer, A. Keith, J. Wiley, H. Raffaele, K. McFarland, and E. Fernandez. 2006. Birds of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J.
Raffaele, H. 1989. A Guide to the Birds of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J.
Raffaele, H., J. Wiley, O. Garrido, A. Keith, and J. Raffaele. 1998. A Guide to the Birds of the West Indies. Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J.