Eurasian Collared-Dove

Streptopelia decaocto

This species completed one of the most rapid avian colonizations in history, expanding across the European continent from the Balkans in just under fifty years.

Scientific name

Streptopelia decaocto

Taxonomy

Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Columbiformes › Columbidae › Streptopelia

IUCN Red List status

Least Concern

Population trend

increasing

Biome

urban

Habitat

Suburban neighborhoods, urban parks, agricultural lands, and orchards.

Diet

Grains, seeds, berries, and occasionally small insects or discarded human food.

Range

Europe, Asia, North America, Caribbean

Size

30-33 cm length, 47-55 cm wingspan, weighing 120-240 grams

Lifespan

3 to 10 years in the wild

Active

diurnal

Threats

Collisions with windows, predation by domestic cats and birds of prey, and susceptibility to avian diseases like trichomoniasis.

Safe to approach?

Harmless and highly accustomed to human presence. Observe from a respectful distance of 5 to 10 feet to avoid causing flight. If you encounter an injured individual, contact a local wildlife rehabilitator. If handling is required, wear gloves and wash hands thoroughly afterward to prevent the transmission of avian mites or pathogens.

The Eurasian collared dove ( Streptopelia decaocto ), most often simply called the collared dove , also sometimes hyphenated as Eurasian collared-dove , is a species of dove native to warm temperate and subtropical Asia, and introduced in North America in the 1980s. In the latter half of the 20th century the species' native range vastly expanded, and it can now be found from Southeast Asia through to Western Europe.

Photo: Iruka, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist

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