Species

Eurasian collared-dove

Streptopelia decaocto

A pale, sandy dove with a black half-collar that spread across North America in a few decades after arriving in Florida.

Photo Zeynel Cebeci (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab)

At a glance

Size: About 29 to 30 cm long
Weight: About 125 to 200 g
Habitat: Towns, farms and suburbs with open ground
Diet: Seeds and grain
In Georgia: Introduced; common resident across the state
Voice: A repeated three-part "coo-COO-coo"
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Pale sandy-grey; black half-collar on the back of the neck; square-ended tail with a broad white tip beneath
Told apart from: Mourning dove, which is browner with a pointed tail and no collar
Told apart from: Rock pigeon, which is stockier and blue-grey
Where to look: Wires, rooftops and farmyards

Behaviour

Collared-doves nest almost year-round in suburbs and around farms. Pairs call from rooftops and wires and display with a steep climb and a long glide.

Why they matter

The Eurasian collared-dove reached Florida from the Bahamas in the 1980s and spread across most of the continent within about thirty years — one of the fastest bird colonisations ever recorded. It is a living example of how a species with the right habits can take advantage of towns and farms.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A flimsy platform of twigs in a tree or on a building
Eggs — Usually two
Incubation — About 14 to 18 days
Nestlings — Fed crop milk; fledge at about 15 to 19 days
Broods — Several a year
Lifespan — A few years

Living around people

Collared-doves nest close to houses and are harmless neighbours.
As a non-native bird it is not protected like native doves, but an injured one still needs a rehabilitator's care.

Misconceptions

It is a pale mourning dove. It is a different species from Europe and Asia, told by its black collar and square tail.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	Pairs calling; some nesting	Nesting begins	Nesting	Nesting	Nesting	Nesting	Nesting	Nesting	Nesting continues	Flocks around grain	Flocks	Pairs calling

Where it lives

Recorded in 72 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Canada

If you found one

Answer a few questions and you will get a specific answer for what you are looking at.

I found an animal