One of the 2 doves on WAnimals
Birds · Columbiformes · Columbidae
Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaocto
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary
It underwent one of the fastest and most spectacular range expansions of any bird of the 20th century, colonising practically the whole of Europe from the Balkans in a few decades.
Weight
125 g – 240 g
Size
32 cm on average
Lifespan
17 years
Diet
Herbivore
Feeds mainly on plants.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Social structure
In pairs
Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.
Sighting difficulty
Easy
Fun facts
- After being introduced accidentally to the Bahamas in the 1970s it spread across almost all of North America within a few more decades.
- It eats seeds, grain and scraps, often around people.
- It lays 2 eggs to a clutch, one noticeably larger than the other.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - pneumatised bony skeleton (bird)
- Habitat & environment
- Towns and farmland of Europe, Asia and North Africa; widely introduced to North America and the Caribbean
- Birth weight
- Weight at hatching not found as a precise figure
- Size at birth
- Born blind and naked, fed on crop milk
- Sexual maturity
- 1 year
- Gestation / incubation
- 14-16 days (usual reference ~15 days)
- Litter / clutch size
- 2 eggs per clutch, one markedly larger than the other
- Lifespan in captivity
- Documented record of up to 17.9 years in captivity
Sources consulted: A-Z Animals; EDDMapS; AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); Wikipedia (Eurasian collared dove); PMC (Trichomonas gallinae study); PMC (mtDNA genetic diversity retraction)
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapBest time: All year round in villages, parks and gardens; its three-note cooing can be heard through almost the whole year.
Where to watch it
Parques y spots de buceo donde se ha documentado esta especie — se muestran 10 de 133 documentados.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Eurasian Collared Dove — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Common Wood Pigeon
Columba palumbus
Least ConcernRock Pigeon
Columba livia
Canada Goose
Branta canadensis
Least ConcernGreylag Goose
Anser anser
Western Capercaillie
Tetrao urogallus
Black-bellied Sandgrouse
Pterocles orientalis
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