Eurasian collared dove. This bird was new to me, but the species is apparently spreading throughout the continental US at a very fast pace. Steve and I were discussing them a few weeks back, and he said that these doves had gone from absent to the most common bird in Magdalena in the space of ten years. Accustomed as I am to mourning doves, these guys make a very undove-like squawk at times. Friday, June 13, 2008
Friday Feeder Friend
Eurasian collared dove. This bird was new to me, but the species is apparently spreading throughout the continental US at a very fast pace. Steve and I were discussing them a few weeks back, and he said that these doves had gone from absent to the most common bird in Magdalena in the space of ten years. Accustomed as I am to mourning doves, these guys make a very undove-like squawk at times. 
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11 comments:
Reid,
I've seen them north of Steve and south of you, though I've only had one on my feeder. I'll bet you get whitewings soon. Unlike the unmelodious collared dove, they have a nice coo.
Collared doves are common here now. They are surprisingly agressive, if that can be said of a dove. I've seen them chasing squirrels (presumably away from their nests) and saw one a couple weeks ago bow up to a crow on the ground and actually bump it in the chest until it flew off.
They are also delicious.
My Peterson Guide to Western Birds (1961)! puts the "Ringed Turtle Dove" only in Los Angeles, at that time, plus "widely domesticated".. I had a pair in Michigan 20 years ago- LeeRoy and LO-rhetta ;-) They've done some moving around since 61. I've seen them in Deming. And I've always called them "ring necked doves". "Collared.." is a new one on me.
Both Eurasian collareds (Streptopelia decaocto) and whitewings have invaded Magdalena since I came here 30 years ago, though the whitewings are from only a little way south. I am told the collareds came in from the east, from the Roswell area, rather than from the west.
Well, I'll be damned... they look the same! What I had, (and what's in the Peterson's) is Streptopelia risoria. Who knew? Steve did.. obviously. ;-) The Eurasian Collared isn't in either of my Peterson guides- West or East, but they're obviously what I saw (only a couple of..) in Deming. Lots and lots of whitewings there at the RV park.
I trained a merlin on these. They are indeed delicious.
re; Matt's comment about aggressive behavior... we have four species that commonly hang out around our house in Jamaica... whitewings, common ground dove, pea doves (Zenaida doves), and white crowned pigeons (WCP).
We put cracked corn out on the lawn for the birds every AM.
Of these species, the WCP very seldom leave the trees to feed on the ground, they remain in the trees eating what berries are in season. But the whitewings are aggressive in chasing the pea doves and ground doves away from the feed.
Doves are the bird of peace. Uh-huh.
The collared doves are now quite common in the Memphis metr area, the Mississipi Delta and Eastern Arkansas. They seem to congregate in small towns and bird feeders where they make an awful racket.
We kill them rgularly om mouning dove hunts. They are delicious but their size messes with range estimation when you have been shooting the smaller doves. Good target for Steve's Grant pigeon gun.
I have shot these doves in England where they are noted in the bag under "Various".
The Arkansas G&F Commission recognises the species and allows no limit shooting during dove season. They do not count toward the 15 bird Mourning dove limit.
I have been told the Collared doves came from an aviary in Florida destroyed by a hurricane.
East Arkansas mourning dove populations are in a low cycles pprobably because of a long drought or may be only scattered by increased corn and grain cultivation. We are beginning to ponder whether the Collared Dove may be part of the problem and may supplant the Mourning dove as the former are so aggressive.
Does anyone have similar experiencee or theory?
Our mourning doves tend to live out in the high desert range, farm fields, and pinon- juniper foothills, not in town, and their numbers seem pretty good. The collareds seem strictly a town bird and the whitewings almost as much so.
The reason we postulate that the Collareds are competing with Mournings is that dove hunting in South Alabama has been greatly reduced or so I am told. It was a way of life there. The Collareds would have come through there first after escaping in Florida.
We see both Doves in town and country---bird feeders or grain and sunflower fields. Years ago I saw a whitewing but it was after a Texas hurricane spent itself in our area. I hope the Collareds will become a welcome addition and not a noxious pest.
I wonder if they may be more competitive in better- watered areas (Mike M?) Here we hunt mournings at tanks in the ranch grassland where I have never sen the other species, but the Rio Valley may be different.
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