Inca Dove

Inca Doves are small and slender with distinctive, scalloped light brown plumage and a long, square tail. In flight, they show rufous wingtips and underwings and long white feathers on the side of their tail. In general appearance, they resemble ground doves.

Inca Doves feed on the ground, eating seeds and grains. They roost together in tight flocks, almost wing-to-wing and sometimes on top of one another. Their nest is a saucer of twigs, grass and leaves in a bush or tree, where they lay a couple of white eggs.

They are native to Mexico and Central America, but their range reaches into most of Texas and the southern edge of New Mexico and Arizona. They are city birds, frequenting lawns, gardens and parks near buildings.