About Leptotila cassinii Lawrence, 1867
The grey-chested dove (Leptotila cassinii Lawrence, 1867) measures 22.5 to 28 cm (8.9 to 11.0 in) in length and weighs 132 to 179 g (4.7 to 6.3 oz). The nominate subspecies has a pinkish gray forehead and face, dark brown crown and nape, and an iridescent grayish purple hindneck. Its upperparts are olive-brown, with an iridescent green or purple mantle. The tail is darker than the back, and the outer tail feathers have white tips. Its throat is white, its breast is reddish gray, and its belly is reddish. The eye is in shades of yellow, surrounded by bare gray skin that is reddish at its front and back. Its legs and feet are red. Males and females are essentially alike, though the female is darker overall. Subspecies L. c. rufinucha is paler than the nominate, with a purplish breast and a rusty buff crown and nape. Subspecies L. c. cerviniventris is similar to rufinucha, but its breast is a stronger purplish pink. For distribution and habitat: the nominate subspecies of grey-chested dove ranges from Panama's Canal Zone into northern Colombia. L. c. cerviniventris is found from Chiapas in southeastern Mexico, south through Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, and northwestern Costa Rica, into western Panama. L. c. rufinucha occurs in southwestern Costa Rica and northwestern Panama. The species inhabits secondary forest, from sea level up to a maximum elevation of 1,400 m (4,600 ft). On the Caribbean side of Costa Rica, it is only found up to 750 m (2,460 ft) elevation.
