Genovesa Island
Today we had a wonderful day on Genovesa, the northernmost island on our itinerary. We saw a lot of different land and sea bird species absolutely everywhere, actively flying, nesting and courting. One I particularly admire among them is the curious and colorful Galapagos dove (Zenaida galapagoensis).
This beautiful bird is found in the drier zones on most of the main islands and is abundant where introduced predators are rare. In the past, large numbers of these fearless birds were killed as a source of food for sailors. This no longer occurs as they are now protected by the National Park, although they have lost much of their tameness since the times when they were recorded as settling on the shoulders and headgear of buccaneers.
The Galapagos dove feeds on seeds, caterpillars, and Opuntia cactus flowers. They mostly nest under rocks, but will also use abandoned mockingbird nests, and lay two eggs. They have the admirable habit of luring potential predators away from their vulnerable nest by faking a broken wing, and risking their own lives to save their offspring.
Active nests are found all year round, but the peak of the breeding season starts in the middle of the warm/wet time of year. Features that make this beautiful bird particularly noticeable are its lovely iridescent feathers, red legs and blue eye ring.
Today we had a wonderful day on Genovesa, the northernmost island on our itinerary. We saw a lot of different land and sea bird species absolutely everywhere, actively flying, nesting and courting. One I particularly admire among them is the curious and colorful Galapagos dove (Zenaida galapagoensis).
This beautiful bird is found in the drier zones on most of the main islands and is abundant where introduced predators are rare. In the past, large numbers of these fearless birds were killed as a source of food for sailors. This no longer occurs as they are now protected by the National Park, although they have lost much of their tameness since the times when they were recorded as settling on the shoulders and headgear of buccaneers.
The Galapagos dove feeds on seeds, caterpillars, and Opuntia cactus flowers. They mostly nest under rocks, but will also use abandoned mockingbird nests, and lay two eggs. They have the admirable habit of luring potential predators away from their vulnerable nest by faking a broken wing, and risking their own lives to save their offspring.
Active nests are found all year round, but the peak of the breeding season starts in the middle of the warm/wet time of year. Features that make this beautiful bird particularly noticeable are its lovely iridescent feathers, red legs and blue eye ring.
