Geotrygon
Geotrygon is a bird genus in the pigeon and dove family (Columbidae). Its members are called quail-doves, and all live in the Neotropics. The species of this genus have ranges from southern Mexico and Central America to the West Indies and South America. Quail-doves are ground-dwelling birds that live, nest, and feed in dense forests. They are remarkable for their purple to brown coloration with light-and-dark facial markings.
| Geotrygon | |
|---|---|
| Key West quail-dove | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Columbiformes |
| Family: | Columbidae |
| Subfamily: | Columbinae |
| Genus: | Geotrygon Gosse, 1847 |
| Type species | |
| Columba cristata = Geotrygon versicolor Temminck, 1809 | |
| Species | |
|
see text | |
The genus Geotrygon was introduced in 1847 by English naturalist Philip Henry Gosse. The name combines the Ancient Greek geō- meaning "ground-" and trygōn meaning "turtledove". The type species was subsequently designated as the crested quail-dove (Geotrygon versicolor).
The genus contains nine species:
- Grey-fronted quail-dove, G. caniceps
- Key West quail-dove, G. chrysia
- †Puerto Rican quail-dove, Geotrygon larva - prehistoric
- White-fronted quail-dove or Hispaniolan quail-dove, G. leucometopia
- Ruddy quail-dove, G. montana
- Bridled quail-dove, G. mystacea
- Purple quail-dove, G. purpurata
- Sapphire quail-dove, G. saphirina
- Crested quail-dove, G. versicolor
- Violaceous quail-dove, G. violacea
Members of the genera Zentrygon and Leptotrygon are also known as quail-doves, and were formerly included in Geotrygon. The species Starnoenas cyanocephala was previously referred to as a quail-dove, though this English name is no longer used.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cladogram showing the position of Geotrygon among its closest relatives. |