A Dove's Quiet Invasion
by Howard Youth
The feral pigeon is not the only member of its family with wanderlust. Another super-successful dove, the Eurasian collared-dove (Streptopelia decaocta), will soon arrive in the Washington area. This tannish bird, midway in size between a pigeon and a mourning dove, will likely become a familiar backyard bird in the 21st century.
Named for the black crescent that adorns the back of its neck, the Eurasian collared-dove originated in southern Asia and, with the help of introductions and the wanderings of young birds, has spread across Europe, into North Africa, and most recently into the United States. Around World War II, the collared-dove--without human help--invaded western Europe, fanning northwest from the eastern Mediterranean. By 1955, the birds were nesting in Great Britain, where it is now a common suburban bird.
The first U.S. breeding Eurasian collared-doves arrived from the Bahamas in the early 1980s, likely descendants of birds that were released from an aviary there in 1974. The doves soon bred in Florida, then started popping up outside the state. Other introductions have likely fueled the dove's spread to other parts of the country, including southern California. Most midwest and western states have recent reports or nesting records of these birds, while in the east the northward advance has been steady but slower. During the past few years, they have nested in coastal North Carolina, and a small number of birds recently settled in near Richmond. The first collared-dove reported at Cape May, New Jersey, appeared in the fall of 1997; two more were sighted in Delaware last August. It's likely that this year or next, Maryland and D.C. will have their first birds.
Like feral pigeons, collared-doves thrive in settled areas, although they are more typically birds of suburbs and rural areas, where they find suitable nesting trees. Bird feeders and grain storage areas are especially important to them during winters. Like pigeons, they usually lay two eggs and can raise up to six broods per year in warmer areas.
The Eurasian collared-dove is an exotic species that thrives in human-altered habitats. However, unlike exotics such as the starling or house sparrow, neither the collared-dove nor the feral pigeon seem to directly compete with native species for nesting places or food.
(ZooGoer 276) 1998. Copyright 1998 Friends of the National Zoo. All rights reserved.)
