Eurasian Collared-Dove

Eurasian collared dove perched on concrete block
Eurasian collared dove. Image by Markéta Machová from Pixabay

Appearance: The Eurasian collared dove is a large bird about 12 1/2″ long, gray/tan with a black collar on the back of its neck. Eyes are large and black, bill long and slightly curved down. They have a long, squared-off tail with a white tip best seen from underneath.

Diet: Seeds, grain, berries, and insects.

Feeder food: Millet on the ground or platform feeder.

Habitat: They live in towns, suburbs, and farms.

Nesting: They build their flimsy platform nest of twigs and stick then place them in a tree or shrub about 1/2 way up. They have 3-6 broods/season with 1-2 eggs/brood. Eggs are white and slightly glossy. Incubation is for 14-19 days and fledglings leave the nest about 16-20 days after hatching.

Migration: Eurasian-collared doves do not migrate. They remain in their year-round range for all seasons of the year.
Year-round range: The western half of the US, states east and south of Illinois, southern British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan, as well as Mexico.

Range Map

Eurasian collared dove range map.
Eurasian collared dove range map. Compliments of The Cornell Lab.