Red-eyed Dove

Description:

Red-eyed Dove is a largish, stocky pigeon, some 30 cm in length; with brown or grey-brown back, wings and tail; and blackish flight feathers. The underparts are pink, shading to pale grey on the face and it sports black half-collar edged with white. The legs and a patch of bare skin around the eye are red. Sexes are similar, but juveniles are duller than adults.

Habitat:

This pigeon is a widespread resident breeding bird in sub-Saharan Africa. It is a common, and often abundant species in most habitats other than desert. Here, observed in town of Awassa and on shores of lake Awassa, in Ethiopia.

Notes:

Lake Awassa (or Hawassa) is a part of main Ethiopian Rift Valley series of lakes, situated at some 1700 m of altitude. Like most of Rift lakes in Ethiopian highlands, this is an endorreic lake (landlocked mass of water having no outlet and not connected to the sea), and as such surrounded by marshes that regulate its levels through evaporation. Because of marshes and its forested shores, the lake is known as birdwatcher's paradise - very rich with various waders. Unfortunately, many of these marshes, or at least those of an easy access to visitors are very polluted by plastic garbage - mainly plastic bottles and bags...