Cape Dove

About the Cape Dove

The wild-type Cape Dove wears the species' natural plumage: a soft brownish-grey above with a clean white belly and chestnut primaries that flash in flight. The sexes differ markedly — the cock is unmistakable with his black face, throat and breast and a bright yellow-tipped red bill, while the hen lacks the black and shows a duller red-based grey bill. A tiny, slender bird of dry African country, it carries the long, tapered black tail that gives it its elegance and its 'long-tailed dove' name.