Grey-chested dove

The grey-chested dove is closely related to the Tolima dove (Leptotila conoveri) and ochre-bellied dove (L. ochraceiventris), and might form a superspecies with them.[4][2] It has three subspecies, the nominate L. c. cassinii, L. c. cerviniventris, and L. c. rufinucha.[3]

The grey-chested dove is 22.5 to 28 cm (8.9 to 11.0 in) long and weighs 132 to 179 g (4.7 to 6.3 oz). The nominate subspecies has a pinkish gray forehead and face, dark brown crown and nape, and an iridescent grayish purple hindneck. Its upperparts are olive-brown with an iridescent green or purple mantle. The tail is darker than the back and the outer feathers have white tips. Its throat is white, the breast reddish gray, and the belly reddish. The eye is shades of yellow surrounded by bare gray skin that is reddish at its front and back. The legs and feet are red. Males and females are essentially alike but that the female is darker overall. L. c. rufinucha is paler than the nominate, with a purplish breast and a rusty buff crown and nape. L. c. cerviniventris is similar to rufinucha but the breast is a stronger purplish pink.[4]

The nominate subspecies of grey-chested dove is found from Panama's Canal Zone into northern Colombia. L. c. cerviniventris is found from Chiapas in southeastern Mexico south through Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, and northwestern Costa Rica into western Panama. L. c. rufinucha is found in southwestern Costa Rica and northwestern Panama. It inhabits secondary forest from sea level to at most 1,400 m (4,600 ft). On the Caribbean side of Costa Rica it is only found as high as 750 m (2,460 ft).[4]

The IUCN has assessed the grey-chested dove as being of Least Concern.[1] Though its biology and ecology are poorly known, the species is considered fairly common in most of its range.[4]