This small and rather dull pigeon conquered the best part of Europe during the last century. It probably found a niche in the foodchain, although it's still not very clear what gap it filled. It also conquered almost all of the USA, coming from the Bahamas. The birds behaves much more relaxed than the Woodpigeon and is not afraid of people at all. In towns I've seen it amidst 'Town Pigeons', so it could very well be still adapting it's lifestyle. It's monotonous song doesn't differ very much from that of most other pigeons. However some people mix up the song of the Collared Dove and the song of the Cuckoo.
This bird belongs to the family of Doves (Columbidae). It is common in our garden and can be seen in Holland all year round. The bird is 12" and weighs 200 grams. It lives in villages, cities, parks and gardens exclusively. Research has proven that the Collred Dove will never build a nest far away from human dwellings (no nest has ever been found more than 1 kilometer from an occupied building). It eats seeds. The sexes do not differ from one another. The bird builds a nest up in trees. It lays only two eggs at a time, but may build up to five nests in one season. The young hatch after 14 days and need to be looked after in the nest for some 16 days.
This bird is also known as the Eurasian Collared Dove.
