There are over 300 species of doves in the world, and you’ll find about 15 of them in the United States. When it comes to the state of Hawaii, you’ll come across species like the spotted dove and the mourning dove. In the following article we are going to be learning about another dove in Hawaii, the zebra dove.
Common Name: Zebra Dove
Scientific Name: Geopelia striata| Size | Diet | Range in Hawaii | Status in Hawaii |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8-9 inches | seeds, insects | Common on all islands | Introduced, Least Concern |
Zebra dove
The zebra dove is also known as the barred dove or the barred ground dove. They’re on the small side for doves and are native to parts of Southeast Asia. Zebra doves have long tails and are grayish-brown in color with black and white barring.
Diet
Zebra doves are omnivorous and feed on a variety of seeds, grasses, and sometimes small insects. Like other doves, they’re ground foragers and more often than not this is where you’ll spot them. Zebra doves may also occasionally visit tray or platform bird feeders.
Behavior
A zebra dove’s behavior is similar to that of any dove. They are always picking at the ground in search of food and are usually seen in small groups. Zebra doves actually spend a lot of time on the ground. They walk rather than hop and can get along with most other types of birds in the wild.
Nesting
Zebra doves nest in bushes, trees, on the ground, and sometimes of ledges. Nests are constructed of simple materials like leaves and grass. A female will only lay 1-2 eggs at a time which will be incubated by both parents for 13-18 days. The young will leave the nest about 2 weeks after hatching and are able to fly after 3 weeks.
Habitat and range
Native
Zebra doves are from areas of Asia like Southern Thailand, Tenasserim, Peninsular Malaysia, and Singapore to the Indonesian islands of Sumatra, Java as well as Borneo, Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, and the Philippine islands.
Hawaii
The zebra dove was introduced to the Hawaiian islands in 1922. It’s believed that by the 1930s this species was prevalent on all islands except for the Big Island. They eventually made it to the Big Island as well making them common birds on all 8 major islands.
Conservation Status
There are no population estimates for the zebra dove specifically in Hawaii, but it has a conservation status of Least Concern.
