As its name suggests, the bird spends the majority of its time on the ground walking but still has the ability to fly.

The common ground dove was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758, in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae.

[4] The species is now placed with other New World ground-doves in the genus Columbina that was introduced in 1825, by the German naturalist Johann Baptist von Spix.

The common ground dove has chestnut primaries and wing borders, which can only be seen when the bird is flying.

The common ground dove does not migrate and is a year-long resident in the areas they are found.

[10] The common ground dove lives in open areas that have trees and bushes.

They are also found in forests with sandy areas, farmlands, and savannahs and near human infrastructure.

Common ground doves seem to hold territories but they are rarely aggressive when dealing with intruders.