The Tuxtla quail-dove or Veracruz quail-dove is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to southeastern Mexico.
Region
Southeastern Mexico (Gulf Slope)
Typical Environment
This species is limited to humid evergreen and cloud forests on the volcanic slopes of the Sierra de los Tuxtlas. It favors dense understory with abundant leaf litter and nearby thickets for cover. Birds typically keep to shaded ravines, forest edges with intact canopy, and secondary growth adjacent to primary forest. They are highly localized and patchy, retreating deeper into cover when disturbed.
Altitude Range
200–1500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The Tuxtla quail-dove is confined to the Sierra de los Tuxtlas of Veracruz, Mexico, making it one of the country’s most range-restricted pigeons. It is a shy, ground-dwelling species that is often detected by its low, mournful cooing from dense understory. Ongoing habitat loss in its tiny range is the principal threat to its survival.
Temperament
shy and elusive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually solitary or in pairs, keeping to dense understory and stepping quietly through leaf litter. Nests are simple platforms placed low in shrubs or saplings. Courtship involves soft cooing and short walks with head bowing in secluded forest clearings.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A low, mournful series of single coos spaced at steady intervals, often delivered from a concealed perch. Calls are resonant but carry only a short distance through dense vegetation.
Plumage
Warm rufous-brown upperparts with a grayish head and nape, and a soft pinkish or cinnamon wash on the breast. Neck shows subtle purplish-green iridescence in good light. Underparts grade to whitish on the belly with darker, more uniform tail. The overall look is of a sleek, ground-dove with smooth, satiny feathering.
Diet
Forages mainly on the ground for fallen seeds and small fruits. It also picks tender plant matter and occasionally takes small invertebrates such as insects and snails. Food is gathered by deliberate walking and pecking, with short pauses to listen and scan for danger.
Preferred Environment
Feeds in shady forest floors with deep leaf litter, along trails, and at the edges of thickets. It often uses lightly disturbed areas adjoining intact forest where fruits and seeds accumulate.
