General Description: Common Ground-Doves (Columbina passerina) are small, slim, gray birds with a scaly head and underparts and brown or reddish streaks and spots on the wings. In flight, they show red in the wings, and the outer tail corners are white. These doves are small, not much larger than the sparrows and finches they compete with at seed feeders.

Common Ground-Doves look a bit like Inca Doves, but Inca Doves have longer tails, and the entire edge of the Inca Dove tail is white.

Taxonomy: Columbiformes, Columbidae.

Favored Habitat: Open areas with scattered trees and shrubs in southern parts of the U.S., Mexico, and northern South America.

Where to Find: Look for Common Ground-Doves south of Las Vegas in places like the lower Colorado River area, the Salton Sea, southern Arizona, and eastward across the southern U.S. However, it is always worth keeping these little birds in mind when you see Inca Doves around Las Vegas.

Comments: Common Ground-Doves are the smallest doves in the U.S.