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Eurasian Collared-Dove

Streptopelia decaoctoOrder: COLUMBIFORMESFamily: Pigeons and Doves (Columbidae)

Eurasian Collared-Dove Breeding Male Portrait
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General

Eurasian Collared-Dove: Medium-sized dove, pale gray overall with a darker cinnamon-brown wash over back. Nape is ringed with half-black collar that does not extend to throat. Wings are mottled gray with dark primaries. Tail is long, broad, and edged with white (black near base). Sexes are similar.

Range and Habitat

Eurasian Collared-Dove: Native of India, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar; also widespread in Europe. Introduced to the U.S.; occurs from Florida to Texas, and may be displacing native doves.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"hoo-hoooo-hoo", "krreeeew", "hwaah", "krreair"

Interesting Facts

 The Eurasian Collared-Dove is one of two species that have been argued to be the wild ancestor of the domestic Barbary Dove.

 Their scientific name, Streptopeleia decaocto, literally means a collar (streptos) dove (peleia). In Greek mythology, Decaocto was an overworked, underpaid servant girl. The gods heard her prayers for help and changed her into a dove so she could escape her misery. The dove’s call still echoes the mournful cries of her former life.

 Introduced into the Bahamas in the 1970s, some migrated to Florida in the 1980s. They went unnoticed at first because they look much like the Ringed Turtle-Dove. It wasn't until the mid-1980s that ornithologists realized the suddenly prolific and quickly spreading "turtle-doves" they were watching were actually Eurasian Collared-Doves. Their impact on native species is unknown; some have suggested that their spread represents exploitation of a niche made available by the extinction of the Passenger Pigeon.

 A group of doves has many collective nouns, including a "bevy", "cote", "dole", "dule", and "flight" of doves.



Author

Gary Owen Dick

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Range Map for Eurasian Collared-Dove
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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.
Family Pigeons and Doves (Columbidae)_blue
Species Streptopelia decaocto
Length11 - 13 Inches
Wingspan18.5 Inches

Eurasian Collared-Dove

Eurasian Collared-Dove: Medium dove, pale gray overall with darker cinnamon-brown wash over back. Nape is ringed with half-black collar that does not extend to throat. Wings are mottled gray with dark primaries. Tail is long, broad, edged with white (black near base). Pink legs, feet.

● Song: "hoo-hoooo-hoo", "krreeeew", "hwaah", "krreair"

● Foraging & Feeding: Eurasian Collared-Dove: Eats mostly seeds, some greens, soft fruits, and garbage. Forages on the ground but also picks berries from bushes.

● Breeding & nesting: Eurasian Collared-Dove: Two white eggs are laid in a nest made of twigs and dry stalks, and built from 6 to 7 feet above the ground in a tree, shrub, or sometimes balcony or eave of a building. Incubation ranges from 14 to 18 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Eurasian Collared-Dove: Mourning Dove is smaller, lacks collar, and has gray-brown upperparts, and long, pointed tail with white tips.

Flight Pattern

Swift strong direct flight on rapidly beating wings.
Eurasian Collared-Dove Breeding Male Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Eurasian Collared-Dove: Native of India, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar; also widespread in Europe. Introduced to the U.S.; occurs from Florida to Texas, and may be displacing native doves.
BreedingMonogamous
PopulationFairly common to common
MigrationNonmigratory
Weight5.4 Ounces