The ruddy ground dove is very common in scrub and other open country, including cultivated land and urban centers, where it can be seen feeding on grain alongside feral pigeons.

[2] Its flight is fast and direct, with the regular beats and occasional sharp flick of the wings which are characteristic of pigeons in general.

Adult males have a pale grey head and neck, and rich rufous upperparts, black-spotted on the wing coverts.

The male, with reddish brown feathers, dominant color on the adult's body, in contrast to the head, bluish gray.

Bird watchers in the south-central part of the United States have been observing a "replacement" of this species by another pigeon, Zenaida auriculata, also known as dove-of-band, or amargosinha eared dove.

The latter species has been conquering the urban environment more and more effectively and is apparently competing with the dove, which is already less frequent than the flock pigeon in most cities in the interior of São Paulo.

In any case, this friendly and even naive species is far from disappearing from the backyards of our houses and from the squares and gardens of our cities, even if they are in large buildings.