Small, stocky dove with short, stubby, rounded wings, a short tail, and red eyes. Eastern adult male: gray-brown overall with bright pinkish wash on belly, breast, head and wings. Scaly-looking breast. Scaly-looking, bluish-gray crown and nape. Bronze spots on wing coverts. Reddish bill with black tip. Short, reddish legs and feet. Eastern adult female paler than male. Western adult male similar to Eastern female. Western adult female similar to Western male, but plumage all brownish-gray; no pinkish tones or bluish on crown. Breast and nape look scaly. Base of bill pinker than male, less distinctive. Also, spots on wing coverts are brown. Juvenile similar to Western female. In flight it shows rufous under-wings and primaries. Tail is dark brown with black edges and small white corners. Compare to Ruddy Ground-Dove which has longer tail and neck, spots on scapulars (lacking on Common), all gray bill, plain breast (not scaly), and black smudges on rufous underwing.

Length: 17 (cm) Wingspan: 28 (cm)

Voice:

Series of moaning coos, rising in pitch: coooooo ah, cooooo ah, coooooo ah. One coo per second. Higher in pitch and clearer than Ruddy-Ground or Mourning Doves.

Habitat:

Dry, open, areas with shrubs and sand or bare ground.

Behavior:

Forages and usually displays courtship while on the ground. Breeds and roosts in low shrubs. Usually solitary or in pairs, occasionally found in small flocks.

Feeding:

Diet consists of mainly seeds, fruits and occasionally insects.