Eurasian Collared Dove

Streptopelia decaocto

Spread across the globe in just 50 years. The most ambitious courier expansion ever.

Population: 40-75 million mature individuals globally, increasing
Habitat: Urban and suburban areas, parks, gardens, orchards, and farmland near human habitation; originally semi-arid country with scattered trees. Nearly all nests occur within about 1 km of inhabited buildings.
Fun fact: The Eurasian Collared-Dove can drink by submerging its bill and sucking up water like through a straw, an ability shared by few other bird groups (most birds must tip their heads back to swallow).
Range: Native across warm temperate and subtropical Eurasia from Turkey to southern China and Sri Lanka; expanded dramatically through the 20th century across nearly all of Europe (reaching Britain by 1953, Ireland by 1959, and eventually to the Arctic Circle in Norway) and North Africa. Introduced/self-established in the Bahamas in the 1970s (fewer than 50 birds escaped captivity in 1974), from where it spread across nearly the entire United States, Mexico, and southern Canada, dispersing at roughly 100 km/year. Extremely large range (~213,000,000 km2) across well over 100 countries and territories.
Diet: Primarily grain and seeds (especially millet and cultivated grain), plus shoots and occasional insects/invertebrates; a ground feeder that also readily uses bird feeders.
Size: 0.32 m
Wingspan: 0.51 m
Lifespan: 13 years

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