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Birds
Namaqua dove
Namaqua dove · Oena capensis
Delicate Namaqua doves with a black face mask and long tail feathers enliven dry savannas with their soft cooing and elegant flights.
Fact file
- Size
- Body length about 22 cm, very slender and light, usually under 50 grams
- Males and females
- Male with black face, females and juveniles without black markings
- Sounds
- Even, soft cooing and gentle calls when near conspecifics
- Diet
- Collects mainly small seeds on the ground
- Offspring
- Usually lays 2 eggs in a delicate nest, breeding season is mainly during the rainy season
How to identify Namaqua dove
Namaqua doves are characterised by their delicate appearance and their subtle greyish-brown base colour. Particularly striking in adult males is the velvety black face and throat, which stand out in strong contrast from the rest of the plumage. Flanks and lower belly are pale grey to whitish. The wings carry dark spots on the coverts.
The long, narrow tail feathers extend the silhouette and give the Namaqua dove an elegant impression. Females and juveniles are overall paler and show a light face without black colouring. The pink legs and pinkish bill are fine identification features, often in combination with the lively, iridescent eyes.
More in the app
With Wildful Stories+ you also get in the app:
- general viewing tips
- 5 places where you can see Namaqua dove
Where Namaqua dove live
Botswana
South Africa
Namibia
- Brandberg
- Buffalo Core Area
- Dolomite & Olifantsrus
- Erongo Gebirge
- Fish River Canyon
- Halali
- Hoanib
- Kalahari
- Kwando Core Area
- Lüderitz
- Mahango Core Area
- Mudumu Nationalpark
- Namib-Naukluft Nationalpark
- NamibRand Nature Reserve
- Namutoni
- Nkasa Rupara National Park
- Okaukuejo
- Otjiwarongo
- Palmwag
- Rundu
- Skelettküste
- Sossusvlei
- Spitzkoppe
- Swakopmund
- Twyfelfontein
- Walvis Bay
- Waterberg Plateau
- Windhoek
Discover Namaqua dove on your trip.
The app shows you where and when to see wildlife along your route.
