India GO
Bird · Chalcophaps indica
Emerald dove
IUCN LC · Least concern
A plump forest-floor dove with bright metallic green wings, a rufous body and a pale grey crown on the male.
How to recognise it
Usually a fast, low burst of green whirring away down a forest track. It feeds quietly on the ground on fallen seeds, so watch shaded paths in the early morning.
Where to see it
Ooty & Coonoor
Tamil Nadu adopted it as the state bird, and it is a genuinely forest-dependent species: a reasonable emblem for a state whose hill forests are its water towers.
Sim's Park Coonoor (in season) · Lamb's Rock (in season) · Catherine Falls