Lemon dove
| Lemon dove | |
|---|---|
| Giant's Castle Game Reserve, South Africa | |
| Immature at Eshowe, KwaZulu-Natal | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Columbiformes |
| Family: | Columbidae |
| Genus: | Columba |
| Species: | C. larvata |
| Binomial name | |
| Columba larvata Temminck, 1809 | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Aplopelia larvata Bonaparte, 1855 | |
The lemon dove or cinnamon dove (Columba larvata) is a species of bird in the pigeon family Columbidae found in montane forests of sub-Saharan Africa. The São Tomé lemon dove is usually treated as a subspecies. The lemon dove has a generally brownish-grey plumage with a cinnamon brown breast. Males have a greenish-glossed neck and white markings on the head, and females and juveniles are rather more brown and have grey facial markings. This dove is a common species, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".