Collared dove

Streptopelia deaocto

Collared Doves.

The monotonous call of the collared dove is heard daily in Kinloch Rannoch and surrounding areas. The collared dove is a newcomer to the UK. It first bred in Norfolk in 1955 and from there it spread to the rest of the country. Before 1930 the collared dove was not found west of Turkey and the Balkans. It’s rapid spread northwestward may have been associated with the spread of chicken farms and their grain.

Collared doves are smaller than wood pigeons, it is monogamous and makes an untidy nest of sticks beginning breeding once it is a year old. In mild conditions collared doves can breed all year. They tend to live for about three years.

I found one nest in a polytunnel at the former garden centre, Allium at Balinluig. It was just above a sliding door.

(25th December 2019)

Creative Commons - credit Andreas Trepte

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