Collared Dove Facts - Information About Collared Dove

(Eurasian) Collared Dove - Streptopelia Decaocto

The Collared Dove is a very frequent garden bird and will take food from the bird table, it is more often seen taking the overspill from underneath the bird table. They are elegant looking birds and will parade around the garden, generally in pairs. It is common throughout the UK.

Identification:

Adult

• The Collared Dove is the only medium sized pale grey bird of the region, sexes are alike and juveniles resemble adults without the neck markings.


• Easily identifiable but possibly confused with Turtle Dove if seen poorly.


• Collared Dove is essential pale buffy grey all over, it is around 32 cm in length, slightly larger than its cousin, the Turtle Dove.


• Entire upperparts are a soft pale buffy grey, the wings show very pale almost white shoulders and dark smokey grey primaries.


• The tail is reasonably long, pale grey above with a broken white terminal band which is visible on the spread tail.


• The head is pale grey as is the throat, breast and belly.


• The Collard Dove shows an incomplete black collar which runs around the back of the neck, this is bordered thinly with white.


• The undertail coverts are white and from below the tail appears white apart from a dark grey base.


• Bill black and dainty, legs dark pink and eye dark red with pale eye ring.

Juvenile

• Juveniles appear from April onwards and are similar to adults.


• Young birds lack the black collar and are generally duller than the adults.

Status and Distribution

The Collared Dove is a very abundant breeding resident in the UK with about 300,000 pairs. The Collared Dove occurs in all counties throughout the UK.
It was only recorded for the first time in the mid 50s, from then it has colonised the whole country. The Collared Dove originates from the Middle East.

Habitat/Food

Collared Doves occur in all habitat types throughout the UK, woodlands, parks, gardens, farmland, hedgerows, towns and cities.
In the garden Collared Doves will take spilt Seed Mixes from the ground and will happily use Bird Table with seed on.

In farmland habitat it will be seen feeding on Seed, young shoots and Small Insects.

Song/Call

A very common sound during the spring and summer months, the Collared Dove song is well known even if you don’t recognise it.

The call is soft and has three parts. The second part of the trio is drawn out and the third part the shortest.
‘hoo-hooooooo-ho’.