Zebra dove a common bird in Mauritius

Local bird camouflaged in the tree, just like a soldier on the battlefield. The zebra dove bird hatching his eggs on a tree. The zebra geopelia, which belongs to the columbidae family, is a tiny but very pretty turtle-dove. It is even the smallest among the other geopelias of its species. It is similar to the Placid Geopelia but its colors are more vivid. The back of the head, the back, the wings, the rump and the tail are light grey-brown decorated with fine brown stripes which characterize it. The flanks and the breast are white-grey, also zebra-striped. A large pinkish buff band starts from the throat and goes down to the lower belly while widening. This part remains plain. The forehead, the throat and the cheeks are pale bluish gray, matching the blue color of the irises. The beak and the wax are bluish gray, the legs pink. A blue skin, also very pale, goes from the base of the beak to surround the eye. In flight the white edges of the rectrices are clearly visible. The male and the female are strictly identical. The juveniles look like adults but with lighter colors.