Family: Columbidae
An adult collared dove.
A juvenile collared dove.It lacks the black collar.
Bird with the characteristic pigeon shape: round body, small head. Measures about 32cm in length, being slightly shorter than the usually more common rock dove (Columba livia).
Its plumage is uniformly beige, with dark wingtips and bluish-gray wing borders. Adults are easily identified by the black collar at the back of the neck, which is bordered by a thin white line and absent in young individuals. The deep red eyes also stand out.
It’s present across most of Europe; the north coast of Africa; and a large chunk of Asia, from eastern Iran to the Korean Peninsula. It has also been introduced in North America, where it has expanded up to southern Canada. This species fares notoriously well in urban or otherwise human-adjacent environments, which comprise its preferred habitats. This may be the reason of its rapid worldwide expansion.
It has a very distinctive song, being a somewhat low coo. It’s always comprised of three syllables, with the second one being stronger and a bit longer (coo-COOO-coo), and it’s often repeated constantly. It’s very similar to the song of the common woodpigeon (Columba palumbus), especially in timbre, but the latter’s has five syllables instead of three. It also commonly emits its call when landing or mid-flight, a nasal shriek somewhat reminiscent of a caw.