Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto

Eurasian Collared-dove Streptopelia decaocto

Collared Dove, Monks Eleigh, Suffolk, England, September 2007 - click for larger image

Until about the 1930s, the Eurasian Collared-dove was only to be found in its original base around India, Sri Lanka and Myanmar. Since then it has spread rapidly through the Middle East and Europe arriving in England in 1955 and in Scotland in 1957. See the distribution map at xeno-canto.

Collared Dove, Edinburgh, Scotland, November 2003 - click for larger image

When the Eurasian Collared-dove first bred in Britain it received the highest legal protection and in 1963 a boy was fined for shooting one in East Lothian. Legal protection was removed in 1981 by which time it had passed from being a rarity to being regarded as a pest.

One of the reasons for its remarkable success is that it will attempt to breed throughout the year and so can produce several broods each year.

Collared Dove, Shetland, Scotland, May 2004 - click for larger image

Collared Dove, Monks Eleigh, Suffolk, England, May 2015 - click for larger image

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