Color aberrations in birds are well documented, but frequently their terminology is misinterpreted. We report a record of color aberration in an adult ruddy ground dove Columbina talpacoti in Rio de Janeiro State, observed foraging with other conspecifics with normal pattern coloration. The color aberration was similar to a previous record of this species from the Rio de Janeiro municipality, but differed substantially from a third anomalous-colored specimen recorded in Venezuela. We suggest that the two Brazilian reports are cases of a non-phaeomelanin schizochroism based on the absence of the reddish-brown colors despite the presence of black and grey colors in feathers. We highlight the importance of using the right terminology for a better understanding of the frequencies of each color aberration type.