Birdfinding.info ⇒ This naturally tame species is among the most abundant and conspicuous birds in several major cities, including Bangkok, Honolulu, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, and Singapore. In Hawaii, it is common and easy to find on all the main islands.
Zebra Dove
Geopelia striata
Native to Southeast Asia; introduced to many tropical oceanic islands. Thrives in close association with human development, including cities, towns, and farmland.
Original range is thought to consist of the Malay Peninsula (north to southeastern Myanmar), Sumatra, Java, and Bali, and it has long been established in a semi-feral condition northward throughout most of Thailand, into Laos, and east across Cambodia and southern Vietnam, the Philippines, northern and eastern Borneo, Sulawesi, and many other islands of eastern Indonesia.
Farther from its original range, introduced populations are established: in the Pacific on southern Taiwan, Hawaii, Tahiti, the Marquesas, and New Caledonia; in the Indian Ocean on the Seychelles, Mauritius, Réunion, Rodrigues, and Diego Garcia; and in the Atlantic on St. Helena.
Identification
A small, thin, tan-brown dove with extensive black barring on the upperparts, neck, and sides.
The barring on the neck is typically separated by an unmarked area along the midline of the throat and chest.
Bare facial skin includes eyerings and loral and postocular stripes. The skin color varies from powder-blue to yellowish.
White outer tail feathers are visible mainly in flight.
Zebra Dove. (Chinese Garden, Singapore; January 20, 2019.) © J.J. Harrison
Zebra Dove, showing extensively barred upperparts, neck, and sides, and powder-blue spectacles. (Laem Pak Bia, Petchaburi, Thailand; January 17, 2013.) © J.J. Harrison
Zebra Dove, male displaying and showing white outer tail feathers. (Hana Road, Maui; October 7, 2004.) © Marvin Hyett
Zebra Dove, frontal view showing only a minimal gap in the barring along the midline of the throat and chest. (Singapore Botanical Gardens, Singapore; December 1, 2005.) © Lip Kee
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Zebra Dove, showing powder-blue spectacles and unmarked throat and mid-breast. (Pak Thale Salt Pans, Petchaburi, Thailand; February 9, 2019.) © Rafael Merchante
Zebra Dove, with feathers ruffled, showing yellowish spectacles. (Hawaii Prince Golf Club, Ewa Beach, Oahu; June 12, 2017.) © SharifUddin59
The Zebra Dove is remarkably similar to the New World Inca and Scaled Doves, though they are not closely related—not even in the same subfamily—so this is evidently a case of convergent evolution.
Zebra Dove, showing extensively barred upperparts and powder-blue spectacles. (Bishan Park, Singapore; April 12, 2019.) © Lars Petersson
Zebra Dove, investigating a camera lens cap, and showing powder-blue spectacles. (Grande Baie, Mauritius; April 8, 2018.) © Jeremy Smith
Zebra Dove, a close family. (Batu Gajah, Perak, Malaysia; January 10, 2018.) © Zhong Ying Koay
Cf. Peaceful and Barred Doves. Zebra, Peaceful, and Barred Doves are similar enough that they have been regarded as a single species. However, they differ noticeably in the pattern of barring on the neck and breast. On Peaceful Dove, the barring forms a full collar that is limited to the neck and upper chest. On Barred Dove, the barring also forms a full collar, but it is much more extensive, covering the whole breast and extending to the flanks. On Zebra Dove, the barring forms an incomplete collar, unmarked along the midline from the throat down, but is otherwise extensive, covering much of the sides and flanks.
Notes
Monotypic species. Formerly considered conspecific with the Peaceful Dove and Barred Dove, collectively known by any of these names or as the Barred Ground-Dove (Geopelia striata).
References
Baptista, L.F., P.W. Trail, H.M. Horblit, and G.M. Kirwan. 2019. Zebra Dove (Geopelia striata). 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/54200. (Accessed December 25, 2019.)
eBird. 2019. eBird: An online database of bird distribution and abundance. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, N.Y. http://www.ebird.org. (Accessed December 25, 2019.)
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.
Hawaii Audubon Society. 2005. Hawaii’s Birds (Sixth Edition). Island Heritage Publishing, Waipahu, Hawaii.
Pratt, H.D., P.L. Bruner, and D.G. Berrett. 1987. A Field Guide to the Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific. Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J.
Xeno-Canto. 2019. Zebra Dove – Geopelia striata. https://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Geopelia-striata. (Accessed December 25, 2019.)