First, an introduction. The Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology describes Eurasian Collared-Doves as “hav[ing] plump bodies, small heads, and long tails.” Size-wise, collared-doves are larger than Mourning Doves but notably more petite and longer-tailed than Rock Pigeons. At first glance, they may appear to be a very large Mourning Dove before you notice their dark collar mark or squared off tail that differs from the Mourning Dove’s pointed tail. Locally, we find collared-doves in and around the Village of Arlington and at farmsteads that have conifer trees.
Originally found in south and eastern Asia, Eurasian Collared-Doves first arrived in the western hemisphere as part of the pet trade. In the mid-1970s, several birds escaped during a pet shop burglary in the Bahamas before the owner freed the rest of the flock, while others were released on the island of Guadeloupe prior to a possible volcanic eruption. These birds likely made their way to Florida and over time expanded across most of North America.
A Eurasian Collared-Dove on a snowy perch (photo via Pixabay).
The first Eurasian Collared-Dove reported in Wisconsin was sighted at the residence of Noel Cutright and Kate Redmond in 1998 in Ozaukee County. From 1998–2000, one or two birds were also found in Portage, Rock and Oconto Counties. Bettie Harriman wrote in the Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Wisconsin (2006), “If it follows the pattern established in other states, the Eurasian Collared-Dove will quickly become a fairly common breeding species in Wisconsin.”
Here is the story of collared-doves around Columbia County that we pieced together:
March 7, 2000: Mike Goodman reported the first Eurasian Collared-Dove sighting in Arlington on eBird.
2003: Three collared-doves were reported in Arlington by a number of birders.
2004: Steve Thiessen observed copulation; Bettie Harriman, Noel Cutright, and Carl Schwartz found the first confirmed nesting pair in Wisconsin at the Arlington feed mill, one mile north of Goose Pond.
March 24, 2007: Robert Brigham and four other birders reported on eBird the first Eurasian Collared-Dove at Goose Pond. We cannot remember when we saw our first collared-dove at Goose Pond, but it was many years later.
February 6, 2016: Dan Belter reported the highest number of Eurasian Collared-Doves (50, maybe up to 60) in Columbia County off of Bullen Road. This became the go-to spot for birders searching for collared-doves in Wisconsin for many years.
November 3, 2021: Spike Millington reports the highest number of Eurasian Collared-Doves at Goose Pond (21), which “flushed from the conifers at W7503 Kampen Road by an American Kestrel.”
On the Poynette Christmas Bird Count (CBC), we have focused on searching for collared-doves beginning in 2003, especially in the Bullen Road area and the Village of Arlington. CBC participants drive all the roads in the local area and walk many sidewalks in Arlington but in the past few years 20 or fewer birds have been found. Some years they can be difficult to find (see graph).
A graph depicting the abundance of Eurasian Collared-Dove counts during the Poynette CBC. The count of collared-doves is low and infrequent before peaking at 50 individuals in 2015 (illustration by Emma Raasch).
During our searches, we learned that not everyone appreciates Eurasian Collared-Doves. Around 2015, Mark stopped to talk with a landowner on the west side of Arlington who had 40 doves at his residence. Mark introduced himself as being from Goose Pond Sanctuary and on the Poynette CBC. The person said, “Yes we have those doves around. They are invasive species and should be removed.”
A Eurasian Collared-Dove perches on a wire in Columbia County during winter 2019. Notice the squared off tail shape (photo by Kaitlin Svabek).
When the Breeding Bird Atlas II began in 2015, hopes were high that we could confirm breeding pairs of Eurasian Collared-Doves. We made special efforts that year to search the Village of Arlington including Bullen Road but could not find evidence of nesting. However, in 2016 Daryl Chistenson located a brood just south of Arlington. At the end of the Breeding Bird Atlas II in 2019, there were six confirmed records in three atlas blocks in the Arlington Area and three additional blocks where they “probably” were nesting. We also identified nesting in two additional blocks near Friesland. Overall, nesting was recorded in three of the 20 priority blocks in Columbia County that were surveyed. Looking at the scattered nesting confirmations throughout Wisconsin, the Arlington area ranked number one.
In the past three years, we have noticed many more pairs in the area around Goose Pond. Birders visiting the sanctuary should be able to find a pair or two especially on Highway K west of Highway 51 in South Leeds to Highway I.
It will be interesting to see what the distribution of Eurasian Collared-Doves will be during the Breeding Bird Atlas III, which begins in 2035. We believe that by then, the collared-doves will be fairly common breeding birds in southern Wisconsin.
Written by Susan Foote-Martin and Mark Martin, Goose Pond Sanctuary resident managers
Cover image: A close-up of a Eurasian Collared-Dove with pale brownish feathers and dark black collar mark around the back of the neck and bright shining eyes (photo via Pixabay).
Some additional cool facts:
People have helped make the Eurasian Collared-Dove at home in North America. Bird feeders and trees planted in urban and suburban areas are cited as two of the main factors in the species’ colonization of the continent.
The Eurasian Collared-Dove’s species name, decaocto, comes from Greek mythology. Decaocto was a servant girl transformed into a dove by the gods to escape her unhappy treatment; the dove’s mournful cry recalls her former life.
While most birds meet their chicks’ protein needs with insects, doves feed their newly hatched chicks a fat- and protein-rich “crop milk.” This whitish fluid comes from liquid-filled cells that slough off the lining of the crop, a portion of the esophagus. After 5 or 10 days, the chicks switch to a diet of regurgitated seeds or fruit.
Eurasian Collared-Doves are one of very few species that can drink “head down,” submerging their bills and sucking water as though drinking through a straw. Most birds must scoop water and tip the head back to let it run down into the throat.
The oldest recorded Eurasian Collared-Dove from the wild was at least 13 years, 8 months old.
