This Tiny Blue-Eyed Bird Was Once Thought to Be Extinct

The blue-eyed ground dove is one of Brazil’s hidden treasures, tucked quietly away in the country’s tropical savannas. It is one of the rarest birds on Earth, and only a lucky few have heard its gentle coos or caught a sudden flash of its indigo blue feathers. The bird has been caught on camera only a handful of times, as seen in this YouTube video. Sadly, there are few blue-eyed ground doves left in the world, and scientists are racing to bring the species back from the brink of extinction.

Brazil’s Hidden Gem

The blue-eyed ground dove (Columbina cyanopis) is a beautiful bird that lives only in the Cerrado, a region of eastern Brazil with white-sand, tropical savannas. These small doves grow just over 6 inches long and have striking colors.

Male blue-eyed ground doves have rich, red-cinnamon feathers on their chest, head, neck, wings, and above their tail. Their wings also feature brilliant blue spots like tiny sapphire gemstones. But perhaps their most noticeable feature is their bold blue eyes, which are made even more striking by a patch of bare gray skin around them. Female blue-eyed doves look very similar to males, but their colors are more subtle and less vibrant.

Blue-eyed ground doves eat tiny insects and seeds they find on the ground. One of their favorite foods is the seeds of Lagenocarpus rigidus grass. They also have unique calls and songs, producing soft, rhythmic cooing sounds about once and a half per second, as demonstrated in this YouTube video.

On the Brink of Extinction

Records of these birds are available from as early as the 1800s, but after that, there were very few reports of sightings. For 75 years, scientists believed the blue-eyed ground dove was extinct. However, in 2015, ornithologist Rafael Bessa was in the field when he heard the bird’s distinct call. Thinking quickly, Bessa recorded the call and played it back, causing a blue-eyed ground dove to come and investigate the sound!

Blue-eyed ground doves inhabit a very small, specific area, which naturally makes their population vulnerable to threats. They also face many threats that have caused their numbers to drop, especially the destruction and loss of their habitat. Much of the tropical savanna they need to survive has been cleared to make way for farms and cattle pastures. The important seeds and grasses they eat have also been replaced by non-native grasses. These invasive grasses take over the environment and crowd out native plant life.

The Fragile Future of the Blue-Eyed Ground Dove

According to the IUCN Red List, there are only about 50 to 249 blue-eyed ground doves left in the wild. Scientists have found three separate small groups, each containing up to five doves. These groups live at least a mile apart and tend to stay within their own small area.

Organizations like SAVE Brasil are working hard to find and protect the few remaining blue-eyed ground doves. In 2017, they established the Blue-Eyed Ground Dove Reserve. The following year, the state of Minas Gerais created the large 88,000-acre Botumirim Park. The park protects more of the natural scrubland where these ground doves live.

Researchers are continuing to monitor blue-eyed ground doves, but sadly, their numbers are not increasing. Although the birds lay eggs and raise young, predators often prey on the chicks before they have a chance to mature. In addition, the lack of natural vegetation makes it difficult for the birds to thrive in their habitat.

So, in 2019, scientists met at Parque das Aves and decided to attempt raising blue-eyed ground doves in captivity by collecting eggs from the wild. In 2023, they successfully raised two baby doves, the first of a new captive population. This burgeoning captive breeding program may be the only way to save these beautiful birds from disappearing forever.