Golden-spotted ground dove

The golden-spotted ground dove was placed in the monotypic genus Leptophaps by some authors. It has no subspecies.[3][2]

The adult golden-spotted ground dove's upperparts are pale fawn brown with a reddish pink tinge. Its throat is white, its belly buff, and the underparts between them reddish pink. The inner tail feathers are grayish brown with black tips and the outer ones purplish black. The closed wing shows a row of the eponymous iridescent golden spots, two purplish black patches, and a purplish black swath at the tips of the flight feathers. The eye is brown, and uniquely in its genus, is not surrounded by bare skin. Juveniles are paler than the adults, have little or no pink, and do not have the golden spots on the wing.[4]

The golden-spotted ground dove is found from Ancash in central Peru east to west-central Bolivia and south to Chile's Coquimbo Region and Argentina's Mendoza Province. It inhabits the arid and semi-arid parts of the puna zone of the Andes. There it is found on the plains, along lake shores, and amid grass tussocks. It flocks in Polylepis woodland or rocky terrain during the nesting season. In elevation it mostly ranges between 2,800 and 5,000 m (9,200 and 16,400 ft) but can be found as low as 300 m (980 ft) in the southern part of its range.[4]

The IUCN has assessed the golden-spotted ground dove as being of Least Concern.[1] It "appears to be locally common in some areas" but its biology and ecology are almost unknown.[4]