Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaocto
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Unknown in Britain before the 1950s — it walked here from the Balkans in a single human lifetime.
A slim, pale sandy-buff dove with a narrow black half-collar edged white on the back of the neck, a dark eye and a long square-ended tail with broad white corners. Collared doves are common in Dumfries gardens, farmyards and around grain stores, usually seen in pairs. Their arrival is one of the most extraordinary range expansions ever recorded in a European bird.
Behaviour
The song is a monotonous three-note 'coo-COO-coo' with the stress in the middle, repeated endlessly from a roof ridge or aerial, plus a harsh nasal call in flight. They feed mainly on grain and seed on the ground and are strongly associated with human food sources. Breeding can happen in almost any month, and pairs will re-use the same flimsy stick platform repeatedly.
When to see it
Quick facts
- Family
- Pigeons and doves (Columbidae)
- Size
- 31–33 cm
- UK status
- Green-listed
Photo by stevem4560, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons