A Synopsis of the Birds of North America

by John James Audubon

Wings of moderate length, with the third quill longest, the first having the outer web narrow at the base, the next four with a contraction toward the end; tail rounded. Male with the forehead, sides of the head, anterior and lateral parts of the neck, breast, and sides, light purplish-red, the central part of the neck-feathers dusky; hind head and neck pale blue, the feathers edged with dark grey; back brownish-grey; primaries and their coverts deep chestnut-red, margined externally, and tipped with dusky; secondary quills and their coverts pale grey, tinged with red; smaller inner secondaries, with their coverts and some of the smaller coverts, with oblong glossy blue spots; lower wing-coverts deep chestnut-red; tail-feathers, except the middle two, blue at the base, bluish-black toward the end. Female paler; the forehead and wing-coverts but slightly tinged with red, the hind neck less blue, and the spots on the wings of smaller extent, and more purple. Young resemble the female, with a tinge of yellow beneath.

Male, 6³/₄, 11. Female, 6¹/₄.

Throughout the Floridas and their Keys, as well as from Louisiana to North Carolina, including Alabama and Georgia. Pretty abundant. Resident.

Columba passerina, Linn. Syst. Nat. v. i. p. 285.

Ground Dove, Columba passerina, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. iv. p. 15.

Columba passerina, Bonap. Syn. p. 120.

Ground Dove, Columba passerina, Aud. Amer. Ornith. v. ii. p. 471; v. v. p. 558.

GENUS II. STARNÆNAS, Bonap. GROUND-DOVE.

Bill of moderate length, slender, compressed toward the end; upper mandible with a tumid fleshy covering at the base, the tip convex, declinate, obtuse. Nostrils oblique, linear. Head small, compressed; neck of moderate length; body full, robust. Legs stout; tarsus longer than the hind toe, covered anteriorly and laterally with subhexagonal scales; toes of moderate length. Claws rather small, arched, compressed, obtuse. Plumage compact. Wings short, rounded; third, fourth, and fifth quills longest, and almost equal; second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth, cut out on the outer web. Tail of moderate length, slightly rounded, of twelve broad, rounded feathers. Tongue and digestive organs as in the preceding genus.

287. 1. Starnænas cyanocephala, Linn. Blue-headed Ground-Dove.

Plate CLXXII. Male and Female.

Upper parts rich chocolate, slightly tinged with olive; lower parts brownish-red, anteriorly tinged with purplish-red, lighter on the middle of the breast, the sides and lower tail-coverts approaching to the colour of the back; upper part of head bright blue, encircled by a band of deep black, broader on the occiput, and very narrow in front; a band of white, under the eye, meeting its fellow on the chin; a broad patch of black on the fore neck, margined with white beneath, and on the sides having a patch of light blue.