Zebra dove (Geopelia striata)

Zebra dove (Geopelia striata) is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is a monomorphic species—meaning males and females look alike—that feeds primarily on seeds, insects, and small invertebrates. The bird has a bluish iris, with plumage ranging from light brown to bluish-gray; its breast and belly feature a pattern of black-and-white stripes blended with light brown tones.

G. striata measures 20–23 cm in length with a wingspan of 24–26 cm, characterized by a slender body and a long tail. The head is gray, while the neck and the sides of the body are adorned with fine, delicate stripes. The back is brown with black-edged feathers. The underside of the tail is black with white tips, and the legs range in color from gray to dark red or blackish.





These birds live in pairs or small groups. They prefer open areas—such as forests, gardens, parks, farmlands, lowland grasslands, and residential yards—where they forage for food on the ground. They may also gather at water sources to drink. If a human approaches, they will quickly take flight.

During courtship, the male performs a ritual to attract a female: he bows his body and emits a characteristic "cooing" sound while raising and fanning out his tail. The female may position herself in a nest and produce a hoarse call to draw the male’s attention, encouraging him to assist in nest-building.

The nest is a simple structure composed of leaves and blades of grass, typically built in shrubs, trees, or even on the ground. The female lays 1–2 white eggs, which are incubated by both parents for 13–18 days. The chicks leave the nest within two weeks and are capable of flying well by the age of three weeks.

This species feeds on small seeds from grasses and wild plants, as well as insects and other small invertebrates. They prefer to forage on open ground, short grass, or along paths and roads. They move nimbly, with a style reminiscent of the movements of a rodent. The color of their bodies provides excellent camouflage when they are on the ground.

These birds have been favored by Javanese royalty since the era of the Majapahit Empire. Their songs typically consist of distinct opening, middle, and concluding segments. Males pass on the opening segment and the number of beats to their offspring, while females contribute the concluding segment and add a rhythmic touch.

TAXON

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Aves
Order: Columbiformes
Family: Columbidae
Genus: Geopelia Swainson (1837)
Species: Geopelia striata Linnaeus (1766)

SYNONYMS

Columba striata Linnaeus in Systema Naturae ed. 12, vol. 1, part 1 p.282 (1766)
Geopelia lineata Swainson in Nat. Hist. Class. Birds 2 p.348 (1837)

PUBLICATIONS

Baptista, L.F., Trail, P W.; Horblit, H.M.; Kirwan, G.M. (2020). Zebra Dove (Geopelia striata), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. DOI:10.2173/bow.zebdov.01

Edwards, George (1743). A Natural History of Uncommon Birds. London: Printed for the author, at the College of Physicians. p. 16.

Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (2020). "Pigeons". IOC World Bird List Version 10.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 15 March 2020.

Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 367. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.

Linnaeus, Carl (1766). Systema naturae : per regna tria natura, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1, Part 1 (12th ed.). Holmiae (Stockholm): Laurentii Salvii. p. 282.

Peters, James Lee, ed. (1937). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 3. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 100.

Robert Kennedy (2000). A Guide to the Birds of the Philippines. Oxford University Press. pp. 149–150. ISBN 9780198546689.

Swainson, William John (1837). On the Natural History and Classification of Birds. Vol. 2. London: John Taylor. p. 348.

VERNACULAR NAME

Afrikaans: Sebraduifie
Arabic: يمام الأرض المخطط - يمام الحمار الوحشي
Bulgarian: Зеброва ивичеста гургулица
Catalan: Tortoreta estriada
Cebuano: korokokok
Chinese (simplified): 斑姬地鸠
Chinese (traditional): 斑姬地鳩 - 斑馬鳩
Croatian: Prugasti golubić
Czech: Holoubek vlnkovaný
Danish: Zebradue
Dutch: Zebraduif
English: Zebra dove, Barred ground dove, Barred ground-dove, Peaceful dove, Peaceful ground dove, Zebra ground dove, Zebra ground-dove
Esperanto: Zebra Kolombo, Zebrokolombo, Zebrostria kolombo
Estonian: Põhja-viirtuvi, Viirtuvi, Põhja-viirtuvi
Finnish: Seeprakyyhky
French: Colombe striée, Colombe zébrée, Colombine zébrée, Géopélie zébrée, Tourterelle striée, Tourterelle zébrée
German: Sperbertäubchen
Guangdong: 斑姬地鳩 - 斑馬鳩
Hong Kong: 斑姬地鳩 - 斑馬鳩
Hungarian: Zebragalambocska
Icelandic: Rákadúfa
Indonesian: Perkutut jawa, Perkutut ketitir, Burung merbok balam, Burung perkutut Jawa, perkutut
Italian: Tortora zebrata
Japanese (Kanji): 嘲笑鳩
Japanese (romaji): Chōshō-bato, Choushoubato
Japanese: チョウショウバト
Java: Kutut, Kutut jowo, Manuk kutut
Kazakh: жолақты кептер
Korean: 얼룩말무늬비둘기
Lithuanian: Sumatrinis dryžasis purplelis
Macao: 斑姬地鳩 - 斑馬鳩
Malaysia: Merbuk, Burung Merbok aman, Burung merbuk, Merbuk biasa
Norwegian: Sebradue
Pinyin: Bān jī dì-jiū
Polish: Golabek zebrowany, Gołąbek zebrowany
Portuguese: Rola-zebra-comum, Rola-zebrada
Russian: Волосатая горлица - Зебровая горлица - Полосатая горлица - Зебровая полосатая горлица
Serbian: Zebrasti golubić
Slovak: Holúbok pásikavý
Slovenian: Progasta grlica
Spanish: Tortolita estriada
Swedish: Zebraduva
Taiwan: 斑姬地鳩 - 斑馬鳩
Thai: นกเขาเล็ก, นกเขาชวา
Turkish: Zebra kumrusu
Ukrainian: Горлиця смугаста
Vietnamese: Cu vằn

Aryo Bandoro
Dlium TheDlium
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dlium