The African Lemon-dove (Columba larvata) also known as Cinnamon Dove, is a small, up to 29cm long, pigeon in the family Columbidae. The male is distinct from other African pigeons in genus Columba for its terrestrial habit and for having a white face and forecrown; it is sometimes separated in the genus Aplopelia (e.g. BirdLife International 2004). Some sources treat the Sao Tome Lemon-dove C. l. simplex as a separate species.
It has a dark brown plumage, black bill, glossed green on sides of neck and cinnamon brown below. The feet, iris and orbital skin are red. The male of western Africa subspecies has a dark grey plumage. The female has a dull cinnamon brown plumage.
The African Lemon-dove is distributed in montane forests of Africa, ranging for example from some 100 meters to 3000 meters AMSL in eastern Africa (Jensen et al. 2005). The diet consists mainly of various small fruits, seeds, molluscs and insects. The female usually lays two creamy white eggs.
Widespread throughout its habitat range, the African Lemon-dove is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Nonetheless, it seems to be declining in some parts of its range; in Tanzania for example it is not rare above 1.300 meters AMSL in the Nguu North Forest Reserve, but not at all common in some lower-lying habitat (Seddon et al. 1999'). It is nearly absent from the southeast of that country (Jensen et al. 2005).