Plain-breasted Ground Dove

How to find it

Start with open, grassy country: pastures, savannas and forest edges with scattered trees. Scan the ground and the roadsides, because that is where birders have found it, including at the roadside at Medio Queso and on the road to Caño Negro in the far north. In the deep south, a group had good views at Playa Colibri near Ciudad Neily. Expect singles or pairs rather than flocks. Look carefully into grassy patches, since birds often crouch low and are hard to spot. Near Turrialba a male was photographed sitting up in the open at Florencia, so patience at the edge of a field can pay off.

How to recognise it

Start with size: a tiny dove, about 14.5 to 16 cm long (a measure for the species in general). Then work through the marks:

Plumage: dark grey to brown.

Wings: paler, with dark violet spots.

Underwings: mostly rufous.

Bill: grey.

Legs: pink.

Eyes: reddish.

The breast is plain, and the head and neck are not speckled. The Costa Rican subspecies is elaeodes, which ranges from Costa Rica to west central Colombia.

Behaviour and diet

This dove eats seeds, fruit and insects picked up from the ground, so most of your time with it is spent scanning the ground rather than the treetops. It is usually alone or in pairs and only rarely forms flocks.

Around Turrialba, birds were mostly seen crouching in grassy fields, as singles or pairs, never flocks. That low posture is a big part of why it is easy to miss.

The nest is a light platform of grass or twigs, on the ground or up to 9 m high. Across its range the male displays by tilting his head while calling, with an inflated crop that visibly swells his neck and chest. The pair is monogamous and guards the nest site, and clutches are one or two white eggs.

Where it lives

In Costa Rica it lives in savannas, forest edges, grassy fields with scattered trees and pastures. Local hotspots include the Río Frío region, the savannas around Térraba and the cleared lowlands of the Coto region east of Golfo Dulce. It is uncommon in the Parrita Valley and rare in the northern Pacific lowlands. Around Turrialba it is a recent arrival.

Across its whole range it favours rather dry areas, including second growth and farmland, usually in the lowlands or foothills, and it has been recorded as high as about 2100 m. That figure is for the species in general, not for Costa Rica.

When to see it

Nesting is reported from May to July on the northwest Pacific side, and also in January near Parrita. It may breed all year.

Similar birds

The Ruddy Ground Dove is much more reddish, while this species is noticeably duller. The Common Ground Dove has a speckled head and neck, which the Plain-breasted lacks. It also shows a scaled breast and a reddish bill, especially at the base. Check the breast and the bill colour first.

Names and lore in Costa Rica

The AOCR gives Tortolita Menuda, with Tortolita and Conchita as other names. Another Spanish list of national bird names also gives Columbina Menuda. Names such as tortolita sabanera, tortolita enana and palomita de la Virgen are used across Latin America, not specifically in Costa Rica.

Status and conservation

It is a resident in Costa Rica (R on the AOCR list), ranging from uncommon to fairly common depending on the locality, and globally it is listed as Least Concern with a very large range.

Photography tips

Around Turrialba the dove is hard to find and often crouches in grassy fields. At Florencia a male was photographed sitting up in the open, so scan open edges and roadsides patiently. Paso Real in the southern Pacific is another place where it has been photographed.