“All human beings are interconnected, one with all other elements in creation.” – Henry Reed
Eurasian collarded dove ... Photo by Arpingstone
African collared dove ... Photo by Coen Elemans, Wageningen University, Netherlands
It was with interest that I read a comment on Birdtalk this morning about two African collared doves sighted in Logan, Utah. It brought to memory my search in the 1990s for the Eurasian collared dove after the first ones were spotted in Utah, where I was then living.
After a year’s search, I found my first Eurasian collared dove in Colorado. Today I see them in Texas on just about every bird-watching outing.
The Eurasian collared dove was accidentally introduced into the Bahamas in the mid-1970s and by the 1980s had spread to the North American mainland. It is larger and stockier than the mourning dove, and concerns have been raised about how this introduced species is affecting our native doves.
The African collared doves spotted in Logan were once known as ringed turtle-doves and are a look-alike cousin of the Eurasian collared dove. They are most likely released or escaped cage birds. It’s a growing phenomenon, one birders like myself believe will eventually lead to a North American population of African collared doves. Is that a good or bad thing. I don’t know.
Do you?
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