Brown doves are members of the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

''Phapitreron'' in the

pigeon Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...

family. Their common name refers to their overall brown coloration. They are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

to the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. All brown doves are tree-dwellers, but the different species occupy different types of wooded habitats; some are more restricted to

old-growth forest An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...

while other make use of

secondary forest A secondary forest (or second-growth forest) is a forest or woodland area which has re-grown after a timber harvest or clearing for agriculture, until a long enough period has passed so that the effects of the disturbance are no longer evident. ...

and other woodland. Their main diet is fruit. They tend to be solitary in their habits and can be elusive. Some species in this genus have conspicuous black and white stripes on their faces and iridescent neck feathers. Males and females look alike.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Phapitreron'' was introduced in 1854 by the French naturalist

Charles Lucien Bonaparte Charles Lucien Jules Laurent Bonaparte, 2nd Prince of Canino and Musignano (24 May 1803 – 29 July 1857), was a French naturalist and ornithologist. Lucien and his wife had twelve children, including Cardinal Lucien Bonaparte. Life and career ...

for the

white-eared brown dove The white-eared brown dove (''Phapitreron leucotis'') is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to the Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republi ...

(''Phapitreron leucotis''). The genus name ''Phapitreron'' combines the genus name ''Phaps'' introduced by the English naturalist

Prideaux John Selby Prideaux John Selby FRSE FLS (23 July 1788 – 27 March 1867) was an English ornithologist, botanist and natural history artist. Life Selby was born in Bondgate Street in Alnwick in Northumberland, the eldest son of George Selby of Beal ...

in 1835 for the bronze-wing pigeons with the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...

''trērōn'' meaning "pigeon". The genus contains four species: *

White-eared brown dove The white-eared brown dove (''Phapitreron leucotis'') is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to the Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republi ...

(''Phapitreron leucotis'') *

Amethyst brown dove The amethyst brown dove (''Phapitreron amethystinus'') is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to the Philippines, it is found on Luzon, Polilio Islands, Catanduanes, Samar, Bohol and Mindanao. It is generally rather scarce ...

(''Phapitreron amethystinus'') *

Tawitawi brown dove The Tawitawi brown dove (''Phapitreron cinereiceps'') is a threatened species of bird in the family Columbidae noted for its orange-peach breast. It is endemic to forests in the Sulu Archipelago (islands of Tawi-Tawi and Sanga-Sanga) in the Phi ...

(''Phapitreron cinereiceps'') *

Mindanao brown dove The Mindanao brown dove (''Phapitreron brunneiceps'') is a threatened species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to forests on the Philippine islands of Mindanao and Basilan, but it has not been recorded from the latter island since 1 ...

(''Phapitreron brunneiceps'') – split from the Tawitawi brown dove Some ornithologists have split two of the above species: * Buff-eared brown-dove (''Phapitreron nigrorum'') – split from the white-eared brown dove * Short-billed brown-dove (''Phapitreron brevirostris'') – split from the white-eared brown dove * Cebu brown-dove (''Phapitreron frontalis'') – split from the amethyst brown dove; listed as an

EDGE species Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) species are animal species which have a high 'EDGE score', a metric combining endangered conservation status with the genetic distinctiveness of the particular taxon. Distinctive species hav ...

by the

Zoological Society of London The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats. It was founded in 1826. Since 1828, it has maintained the London Zoo, and since 1931 Whipsnade Park. History On 29 ...

Grey-breasted brown-dove The grey-breasted brown dove (''Phapitreron amethystinus maculipectus'') is a subspecies of amethyst brown dove in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to the Philippines being found in Negros and Panay. Its natural habitats are or tropical mois ...

(''Phapitreron maculipectus'') – split from the amethyst brown dove

References

* Columbidae * Birds described in 1854 Taxa named by Charles Lucien Bonaparte Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Columbiformes-stub