Eurasian-collard Doves are light brownish-gray, with white patches in the tail, and look very similar to Mourning Doves, but with a black half collar at the nape of the neck. They are also larger and with a square tail rather than pointed.
- Streptopelia decaocto
- Length: 11.4 – 11.8 in (29 – 30 cm)
- Weight: 4.9 – 6.3 oz (140 – 180 g)
- Wingspan: 13.8 in (35 cm)
Range
Eurasian Collared-Doves are an introduced species that only arrived in the 1980s but now live across most of the United States.
Habitat And Diet
You can find Eurasian Collared-Doves in most areas, including rural and suburban. They are often found in agricultural areas where they eat a wide variety of seeds and grain including some berries and insects. They will also visit and stay in man-made structures especially those with bird feeders.
Eurasian Collared-Dove Song:
Nests
Nests of Eurasian Collared-Doves are built collaboratively between the parents. The male shows potential nesting sites and brings the materials like twigs, grasses, and roots to the female.
The female then puts together the platform nest, usually built about 10 feet high in trees. The pair may reuse this nest for successive broods in a year.
The female then lays one to two eggs with an incubation period of fourteen to nineteen days.
Attract Eurasian Collared-Doves
Attracting Eurasian Collared-Doves to your backyard is pretty simple since they’re used to visiting and staying near or in man-made structures. Make sure to leave seed and grain on platform feeders or on the ground.
Fun Fact:
Newly-hatched Eurasian Collared-Dove chicks are fed “crop milk”, a whitish fluid that comes from a portion of their parents’ esophagus.
