Pallid Dove (Leptotila pallida) [XC602239]
by Paul Bourdin from Manglares Churute NR, Guayas, Ecuador (song)
Pallid Dove (Leptotila pallida) [XC120648]
by Jonas Nilsson from Tundaloma Lodge, Esmeraldas, Ecuador (song)
Subspecies
Brown-backed Dove (Leptotila battyi) has been widely treated as a separate species from either Grey-headed Dove (Leptotila plumbeiceps) or Grey-fronted Dove (Leptotila rufaxilla) on the basis of its distinct call and very slight plumage differences (Wetmore 1968, Ridgely and Gwynne 1989, Baptista et al. 1997, Dickinson 2003). Although Stiles and Skutch (1989) and Gibbs et al. (2001) suggest little or no difference between the voices of plumbeiceps and battyi, we provisionally accept battyi as a species pending further work determining the relationships of these taxa, rufaxilla and pallida.
Formerly considered a subspecies of Grey-fronted Dove (Leptotila rufaxilla) and these two may form superspecies with Grey-headed Dove (Leptotila plumbeiceps), and possibly also with Brown-backed Dove (Leptotila battyi) and Grenada Dove (Leptotila wellsi).
BirdLife International Species Factsheet