Eurasian Collared Dove
\nThe
Eurasian Collared Dove,
Streptopelia decaocto, also called the
Eurasian Collared-Dove or simply the
Collared Dove, is one of the great colonisers of the
avian world. Its original range was warmer temperate regions from southeastern
Europe to
Japan. However, in the twentieth century it expanded across the rest of Europe, reaching as far west as
Great Britain by 1960, and
Ireland soon after. It also now breeds north of the
Arctic Circle in
Scandinavia. It was accidentally introduced into the
Bahamas in the
1970s and spread to
Florida by
1982. Its stronghold in the
USA is still
Florida, but as of
1999 it had been reported from 22 states and was still spreading rapidly. It is not
migratory.
It breeds wherever there are trees for nesting, laying two white eggs in a stick nest. It is not wary and is often found around human habitation.
This is a small
dove, buff grey with a darker back and a blue-grey wing patch. The tail feathers are tipped white. It has a black half-collar on its nape from which it gets its name. The short legs are red and the eye and bill are black.
This is a gregarious species, and sizeable winter flocks will form where there are food supplies such as grain. The song is a monotonous
coocoo, coo.
The Eurasian Collared Dove is one of two species (the other, and the more likely, being the
African Collared Dove,
Streptopelia roseogrisea) that have been argued to be the wild ancestor of the domestic
Barbary Dove,
S. risoria. It is able to interbreed with the Barbary Dove.
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