The Blue-headed Quail-Dove (Starnoenas cyanocephala): an Australasian dove marooned in Cuba

We review the taxonomic history, external morphology, anatomy, behavior, distribution, and zoogeography of the Blue-headed Quail-Dove (Starnoenas cyanocephala), which is endemic to Cuba, and conclude that it is completely unlike any other New World member of the Columbidae. It presents a mosaic of characters shared with various genera in Australasia but is perhaps most similar to the Australian genus Geophaps and related terrestrial pigeons. The Blueheaded Quail-Dove should be placed in its own subfamily, Starnoenadinae, until its relationships with Australasian genera can be refined by additional data including molecular. We recommend that the English name be changed to Blue-headed Partridge-Dove. Received 9 October 2015. Accepted 17 November 2015. Key words: anatomy, behavior, Columbidae, Geophaps, Geotrygon, paleontology, Starnoenadinae, zoogeography.
Received wisdom often distorts our perception of relationships among various groups of birds until new information or more critical evaluation of old evidence dispels the inaccuracy of current knowledge. A [...]