The maroon-chested ground dove is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is native to the American Cordillera of Central and South America.
Region
American Cordillera of Mesoamerica and the northern Andes
Typical Environment
Occurs patchily in humid montane forests from southern Mexico through Central America and into the northern Andes of South America. Favors cloud forest edges, secondary growth, and dense bamboo (Chusquea) or other tangled understory. Often keeps to shaded forest floors, landslides, and along narrow trails where leaf litter accumulates. Can occasionally use semi-open habitats like overgrown clearings and shaded agroforestry near forest.
Altitude Range
800–3000 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This elusive ground-dwelling dove favors dense montane understory, especially bamboo thickets, where it forages quietly on fallen seeds. Breeding and local abundance often spike during bamboo mast seeding events. Males show a distinctive maroon chest band, while females are browner and more cryptic. It is most often detected by its soft, low cooing or the sudden whirr of wings as it flushes from cover.
Temperament
shy and retiring
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with explosive flush from cover
Social Behavior
Usually solitary or in pairs, becoming more gregarious locally when bamboo or grasses seed. Nests are simple platforms placed low in dense thickets or bamboo. Courtship involves soft coos and short display flights within the understory.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a soft, low series of coos delivered from concealed perches, often carrying poorly in dense vegetation. Calls include gentle, repeated hoo notes and a whirring wing sound when flushed.
