Rufous Turtle Dove in Israel?

[Yoav]

This interesting dove (http://www.israbirding.com/israelbirdsforum/forum_entry.php?id=1315)was found yesterday by Amir Ben-Dov at Ashdod. To my eyes it looks like a good 2cy meena - scapulars & med. coverts pattern, head and bill shape and proportions, big fat breast & belly, limited bare skin around the eye. True colours are difficult to judge due to the terrible light.

More feedback is welcome.

Yoav.

[stenura]

This is indeed a perfect OTD. Structure and details fits very nicely...

Edit: As to the subspecific id, I agree that meena looks like a better match here. On the other hand the the situation is quite complex with a huge area of (reported) interbreeding. The variation within pure nominate, far east, is also intriguing with eg. white tips to rectricies reported all the way to the pacific.

Nice find!
/Magnus H

[CAU]

white tips to rectricies reported all the way to the pacific.

Here's a bird from South Korea showing white-looking tips to the tail feathers:
http://orientalbirdimages.org/search.php?p=14&action=searchresult&Bird_ID=710&Bird_Family_ID=&pagesize=1

Of course I agree that the Israeli bird is an OTD (but in comparison to the bird linked above, the TF tips look greyish...).

[stenura]

Concerning the age of the bird it is often dangerous to rely on retained single juv-like coverts. The adult coverts bleach rather heavily and some get more or less brown grey (with no pattern at all visable) and sometimes with whitish tips.

A couple of such examples (both bird are provable adults):

http://www.netfugl.dk/pictures.php?id=showpicture&picture_id=24223
http://www.artportalen.se/birds/gallery_imageinfo.asp?imageid=22515

As a result, I wouldn't bet all my money that the Israeli bird is 2cy.

/MH