The national animal of Grenada is the Grenada dove. This is a species of dove endemic to Grenada and has become a very important national symbol to the people of Grenada. They are sadly critically endangered and thus serious efforts must be undertaken to ensure that they do not go extinct in the near future.
The dove is a humble animal but nonetheless a very important national symbol in Grenada.
Their precarious position has only made them all the more important in the minds of the people of Grenada, though they have in some way or another always been important to the people of the island.
Let’s find out more.
What is the national animal of Grenada?
The national animal of Grenada is the Grenada dove.
This is a mid-sized tropical dove of the New World, which, unsurprisingly given its name, is endemic to Grenada.
They were once known as the pea dove or sometimes the Well’s dove, though they are usually referred to as the Grenada dove now.
They are one of the most critically endangered dove species in the world, and even at their height had only a small range in Grenada itself.
They have a white throat, as well as a white face and forehead.
They have dull brown shading on their crown and nape, as well as olive brown on the upper parts.
The underwing feathers are chestnut in color, and the neck and upper-breast are pink fading to white on the lower breast and under tail coverts.
They were first described in the modern taxonomical sense in 1884 by Lawrence, though at that time they were considered a member of the genus Engyptila.
In 1988, sonographic analysis proved that they were a distinct species and today they belong to the genus Leptotila.
They were first designated as Grenada’s national animal and bird in 1991 and are one of the flahship species when it comes to Grenadian conservation efforts.
Not a great deal is known about the species given its elusive nature and small population numbers.
Some surveys show that they are associated with dry forest communities in the west of the island, and they are shown to be most commonly found in degraded mosaics of evergreen forest.
For many centuries, then, their proximity to human settlements has been a problem for their habitats.
They are assumed to be quite territorial, and this fact influences estimates of the population since they cannot live in large social groups.
Why is the Grenada dove the national animal of Grenada?
The Grenada dove is the national animal of Grenada for a few reasons.
On the one hand, they are seen as important symbolically in a few different ways.
Birds often represent freedom and liberation and this is certainly true here.
The Grenada dove able to fly as it will, embodies the instinct to freedom and a carefree attitude to life.
Their elusiveness is also seen as emblematic of Grenada’s natural beauty and so on that level they are perhaps the best embodiments of the island’s natural landscape.
They are not a large nation, naturally, but their pride is just as great as any.
But, as mentioned, perhaps the single greatest reason they were chosen as the national animal of Grenada is the fact of their conservation status.
They were originally designated as the national animal in 1991, and conservation efforts have been ongoing ever since to ensure the species’ survival.
Awareness is one very important step towards the preservation of a species, though it cannot be the only one.
But the more people are aware of the struggles a species might face, the greater your chances of ensuring that they can not only survive but thrive.
What do Grenada doves eat?
Grenada doves seem to be mostly herbivorous and eat a wide variety of foraged plant matter.
They have been documented consuming papaya during one particular diet study.
They have also been observed foraging on the ground, but in captivity they have been seen to eat mealworms.
They may eat fruit, seeds, and sometimes agricultural grains.
They have a fairly wide diet then and for the most part will adapt to whatever happens to be available.
This will usually mean plant food of one kind or another but again if need be they can turn to animal matter.
How long do Grenada doves live?
Given their elusiveness, it is very hard to say with much accuracy how long a Grenada dove might live in the wild.
There are estimated to be as few as 160 individuals left.
Doves in general are usually expected to live around 1.5 years in the wild, on average, so it may be that Grenada doves are roughly the same.
In captivity, they can naturally live much longer, though no studies have been done on this question in particular.
The truth is, then, that we don’t know how long they live, but they are probably not especially long-lived in the wild today.
This special bird, then, is under a very grave threat, and this is naturally a very important problem to the people of Grenada.
To lose it would be to lose a vital part of national symbolism as well as a key member of the local ecosystem.
These beautiful birds are and have been important to the people of Grenada for many centuries and hopefully can continue to be so for the years to come.