NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Inca Dove
Columbina inca (R. Lesson, 1847)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Inca Dove (Columbina inca) — in Lost Dutchman State Park, Arizona.
Elaine R. Wilson · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 320 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Inca dove or Mexican dove (Columbina inca) is a small New World dove. The species was first described by French surgeon and naturalist René Lesson in 1847. It reaches a length of 16.5–23 cm (6.5–9.1 in) and weighs 30–58 g (1.1–2.0 oz). The Inca dove has an average wingspan of 28.5 cm and a max wingspan of 32 cm. It is a slender species, with a gray-brown body covered in feathers that resemble a scaled pattern. The tail is long and square and edged with white feathers that may flare out in flight. The underwings are reddish, like other ground doves, and upon takeoff, the wings produce a distinctive, quiet rattling noise.
Wikipedia contributors, Inca dove; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T01:44:55.722700+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Columbina inca (R. Lesson, 1847)
- Name authority
- (R. Lesson, 1847)
- Common name
- Inca Dove
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Columbiformes
- Family
- Columbidae
- Genus
- Columbina
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderColumbiformes
- familyColumbidae
- subfamilyClaravinae
- genusColumbina von Spix, 1825
- speciesColumbina inca (R. Lesson, 1847)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Columbina. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Plain-breasted Ground DoveColumbina minuta (Linnaeus, 1766) | ColumbidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Picui Ground DoveColumbina picui (Temminck, 1813) | ColumbidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Ecuadorian Ground DoveColumbina buckleyi (P. L. Sclater & Salvin, 1877) | ColumbidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Croaking Ground DoveColumbina cruziana (Prévost, 1842) | ColumbidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Blue-eyed Ground DoveColumbina cyanopis (Pelzeln, 1870) | ColumbidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Common Ground DoveColumbina passerina (Linnaeus, 1758) | ColumbidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Scardafella inca (R. Lesson, 1847) (R. Lesson, 1847) | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
North America
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=177162 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:5ZPZW. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.