Inca Dove Columbina inca Scientific name definitions

A small dove of Mexico, northern Central America, and the southwestern United States, the Inca Dove has extended its range both north and south over the past 100 years. A conspicuous urban resident, it commonly occurs at bird feeders and on lawns and other short grass habitats. This species was originally confined to arid habitats, and its affinity to human dwellings was attributed to the easy availability of water. It continues to spread into wetter areas, retaining its attachment to towns and cities for no obvious reason.

In some of its range this dove breeds year-round, laying two eggs in an unsubstantial twig nest. The same nest may be used repeatedly, becoming reinforced as feces accumulate from continued use. A two syllable, monotonous territorial call, "No Hope," is repeated over and over for long periods, even in the heat of the day.

Inca Doves are sensitive to cold and use several means to survive it. Nocturnal hypothermia (5°–12°C below normal) occurs during cold periods with simultaneous food or water shortages. Pyramid roosting is used during the day and occasionally at night to conserve heat. Five to 12 birds in 2 or 3 rows roost on top of one another in sheltered, sunny locations. Northward range expansion continues, but should eventually be limited by this cold sensitivity.

There is little work focused directly on this species. Although most aspects of its life history remain little studied, best known include physiology, especially water economy, salt balance and nocturnal hypothermia (MacMillen and Trost Macmillen and Trost 1966 Macmillen, R. E. and C. H. Trost. (1966). Water economy and salt balance in White-winged and Inca doves. Auk 83:441-456. Close , Macmillen and Trost 1967b Macmillen, R. E. and C. H. Trost. (1967b). Thermoregulation and water loss in the Inca Dove. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 20:263-273. Close , Macmillen and Trost 1967a Macmillen, R. E. and C. H. Trost. (1967a). Nocturnal hypothermia in the Inca Dove, Scardafella inca. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 23:243-253. Close ; Robertson and Schnapf 1987 Robertson, P. B. and A. F. Schnapf. (1987). Pyramiding behavior in the Inca Dove: adaptive aspects of day-night differences. Condor 89:187-190. Close ), but also factors controlling iris color (Chiasson and Ferris 1968 Chiasson, R. B. and W. R. Ferris. (1968). The iris and associated structures of the Inca dove Scardafella inca iris color change mechanism. Amer. Zool. 8:818. Close , Chiasson et al. 1968 Chiasson, R. B., M. E. Hadley and S. M. Russell. (1968). Andrenergic and cholineric mechanisms controlling color changes of the Inca dove Scardafella inca iris. Amer. Zool. 8:818. Close ). Quay's (Quay 1982 Quay, W. B. (1982). Seasonal calling, foraging, and flocking of Inca Doves at Galveston, Texas. Condor 84:321-326. Close ) work is one of the few field studies to focus on this species at the local population level -- seasonal changes in foraging and other aspects of life history. Increasingly well documented is the range expansion of this dove in North America, although the factors responsible for this expansion remain poorly understood.