Eurasian Collared Dove

When we moved here in the 80's, doves were not overly abundant. You could hear Mourning Doves in the morning, and now and then you would see some around sitting on wires in the evening. Over just the last few years doves have gotten more and more common. This winter it was not unusual to see a couple dozen feeding at the bird feeders and sitting in groups in the trees and shrubs nearby. Wondering why there was this sudden influx of doves, I decided to do a little research. It turns out that all these new doves are Eurasian Collared doves, not a native species. They were introduced into the Bahamas in 1975 and have been spreading north. They spread across parts of the lower southern United States by 1998. By 2003 they had reached as far as western Nevada to the Canadian border and to Virginia in the east. So some time between 1998 and 2003 these birds arrived here in Colorado and have become more and more prevalent ever since. Every morning a few of them sit in the sumac trees sunning themselves. This is one of them. They are named for the dark band across the back of the neck.