Grenada Dove

Grenada's National Bird: A Symbol Worth Saving

Status: Critically Endangered (IUCN Red List)
Population: ~160 individuals (107-229)
Range: Two small forest areas in Grenada
Protection: Mt. Hartman National Park & Perseverance Dove Sanctuary

Photo Credit: Arthur Daniel

About The Grenada Dove

The Grenada Dove (Leptotila wellsi) is one of the world's rarest doves and Grenada's national bird—found nowhere else on Earth. Medium-sized (26-31 cm, ~200 g) with warm cinnamon-brown plumage, this shy forest dweller has a distinctive white shoulder stripe that sets it apart from other Caribbean doves. Its pale yellow eyes are ringed in bright carmine, and its legs and feet are vivid reddish-pink.

Solitary and elusive, the Grenada Dove spends most of its time walking quietly on the forest floor, searching for seeds in the leaf litter of dry coastal forests. During the breeding season (June-December), males establish territories with a distinctive, descending hooooo call that echoes through the thorny legume forests they call home.

Habitat: The dove depends on dry coastal and mixed deciduous forest, especially areas with thorny leguminous trees like Haematoxylum, Bursera, and Leucaena. Forests with over 50% canopy cover and these specific food plants provide the best habitat. Access to freshwater is critical, especially during Grenada's long dry season.

Video Credit: Drs Catherine Peter & Matt Geary (University of Chester)

Why It Matters

The Grenada Dove is more than a rare species -- it's a symbol of national pride, featured on stamps and currency, celebrated in schools, and central to Grenada's natural heritage. Endemic species like the Grenada Dove are irreplaceable: once lost, they're gone forever.

Today, fewer than 250 individuals survive in just two small, fragmented populations:

Southwest coast: Mt. Hartman Estate, Petit Bouc, Woodlands, Lower Woburn (the species' stronghold, supporting nearly half the remaining birds)
West coast: Perseverance, Woodford, Beausejour, Grenville Vale Estates, and Black Bay

These populations were likely connected historically but are now separated by nearly 9 km of development, including St. George's. Although Mt. Hartman National Park and Perseverance Dove Sanctuary provide legal protection, these areas safeguard less than 10% of the dove's habitat.

The Challenge

The Grenada Dove faces multiple, severe threats:

Habitat Loss -- Development, agriculture, and fires continue to destroy and fragment the dry forest the dove depends on. Proposed development at Mt. Hartman threatens the species' most important stronghold.
Invasive Predators -- Introduced mongooses, rats, cats, and opossums prey heavily on ground-nesting doves. Nest predation is a major cause of breeding failure.
Climate Impacts -- Hurricanes devastate populations (the 2004 Hurricane Ivan reduced the west coast population by nearly half), while prolonged droughts stress birds and concentrate them at limited water sources.
Small Population Risks -- With so few individuals, the population faces genetic challenges, including low diversity and demographic vulnerabilities that make recovery difficult.
These threats don't act in isolation -- they cascade and amplify each other, making coordinated conservation action essential.

→ Learn more: Conservation Action Plan | Grenada Dove Fact Sheet

Conservation & Research

For nearly 40 years, researchers, field teams, and conservation practitioners have been working to understand and protect the Grenada Dove. Standardized monitoring, habitat studies, genetic research, and population viability analysis inform every conservation decision.

In October 2025, government agencies, conservation organizations, researchers, and community partners came together to develop a new Conservation Action Plan (CAP) -- the most comprehensive, collaborative planning effort in the species' history. The CAP charts a coordinated path forward through habitat protection, invasive species control, research and monitoring, community engagement, and institutional strengthening.

→ Learn more: Research & Monitoring | Conservation Action Plan | Grenada Dove Fact Sheet

Day 2 of Conservation Action Plan (Caribbean House, St George's University) with some of the participants. There were 45 participants in person and 25 online, over both days.

Photo Credit: Reginald Joseph