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Collared dove

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The collared dove is a pretty little pigeon that is a regular sight in our gardens, woodlands and parks. Listen out for its familiar cooing call, which you may hear before you see the bird itself.

Scientific name

Streptopelia decaocto

When to see

January to December

Top facts

Category

Stats

Length: 31-33cm
Wingspan: 51cm
Weight: 200g
Average lifespan: 3 years
Common. Classified in the UK as Green under the Birds of Conservation Concern 5: the Red List for Birds (2021).

Conservation status

Habitats

About

The collared dove is a small pigeon found on farmland and in woodland, parks and gardens across the country. Since breeding in the UK was first recorded in the 1950s, numbers have increased and the collared dove is now one of our commonest garden birds. Collared doves feed on seeds and grain on the ground and are usually seen singularly or in pairs, although small flocks may form where there is enough food.

What to look for

The collared dove is buff-coloured with darker grey wingtips, a black half-collar, and paler patches at the shoulders and at the end of the tail. Less colourful than the turtle dove, it also sounds different: it makes a familiar 'hoo hoooo-hoo' sound, while the turtle dove has a purring 'turrr turrr turr' song.

Where to find

Found everywhere.

Did you know?

The collared dove is one of the great colonisers of the bird world, having spread west from Asia, it first bred here in the 1950s and has even reached America.