Streptopelia decaocto, also known as the Eurasian Collared Dove is native to Asia. Though not a migratory bird, the Collared dove is rather fond of traveling; specialists call it invasive. This is due to the fact that over the past century, it has conquered all continents. As mentioned before, the Collared dove is native to Central and South Asia, from where it spread to other territories beginning in the 1900s. The Collared dove came to Romania around the 1920s and populated this area as well. Later on, it conquered Western and Northern Europe, reaching as far as Iceland or Norway, close to the North Polar Circle. It seems however that in this area it was not able to create a stable and numerous population. In 1970 it was introduced in the Bahamas, from where it spread to Florida, reaching the North American Continent as well. Specialists have been intensely studying this bird in order to determine the manner in which it manages to adapt to such different condition and integrate with the native bird populations.
The Collared dove belongs to the pigeon family. Its body shape is similar to that of the pigeons. However, the Collared dove is smaller than our Wood Pigeons. It has 31-34 cm in length, a wing span of 65-70 cm and a weight between 170 and 250 g. The main color is brown-grey or pink-grey. The tail feathers has black at the basis, grey in the middle and white towards the tip. The pattern of the wings can be seen when the birds sets off or lands; the pattern is created of large black feathers on the edges, white feathers in the middle and grey feathers towards the body. The chest area is of a lighter color. Their feet are red and the beak is black. From a distance, the eyes seem black due to the large pupil that covers the orange iris almost entirely. The eyes are surrounded by a portion of skin with no feathers. Adults have a black neck collar, which gives the bird it's name: "Collared dove." The two sexes are virtually indistinguishable from one another in terms of appearance. Unlike their parents, the young do not have the black neck collar.
Collared doves are very sociable. Like many other bird species, they mate for life. Generally, they are live in or around human settlements, on which they depend for food and shelter. In rural areas especially they build their nests under eaves or in attics, in locations secluded from human sight. They build their nests with sticks, thin branches and dry grass. Collared doves are not shy around humans and they can be easily tamed. Extensive populations of Collared dove settle around farms, where they can find plenty of food. They are not reluctant to eat from the bird feeders placed for poultry. Their diet consists mainly of seeds, insects and greens.
Males court females through a ritual flight similar to those of pigeons. The ritual flight consists of flying rapidly towards the sky and gliding downward in a circle, or rhythmically flapping their wings. A pair of Collared doves lays 2 round, white eggs starting in spring. The same couple can lay another 4-5 clutches of eggs throughout the year, depending on the amount of food available. Incubation takes around 15-17 days. The female incubates the eggs during the night, while the male takes over at night. When they hatch, the chicks are featherless, but they fledge in 15 to 19 days. On the 21st day, the chicks are ready to live the nest. Thus, the parents can lay a new clutch of eggs. While in captivity the collared doves' life expectancy is of 20 years, in their natural habitat it is shorter due to predators and harsher living conditions.
Their song sounds like coo-COO-coo, the second syllable being accentuated. It is often mistaken for that of the Cuckoo.
In recent years, the Collared dove has a become a highly appreciated pet bird. Some specimens have developed a special coloring and their warm temper makes people love them more.
If you want to find out more about birds or many other distance learning courses please browse my website: Animal World
Whats On My YouTube Today?
Rubber-band Powered Flapping Phoenix / Bird Toy
Here Are A Few Items From Amazon You Might Be Interested In.
| Account limit of 2212 requests per hour exceeded. |
Items recently purchased on this site:
Thanks for visiting!
