Dove Or Pigeon ?

[fishinwrench]

What are these birds ? They were almost as big as chickens and totally tame. Sized and shaped like a city pigeon, but colored like doves. They followed me around today on the creek near my house and were really tame.

Just to keep it fishing related......

[Guest kevinkirk]

They are a dove. HUGE arent they. They had to make them legal to shoot along with the regulars as you cannot tell when they are flying by. I cannot recall the name but they have a ring around their necks too.

The Kansas Wildlife and Parks Commission voted unanimously to liberalize hunting regulations concerning two exotic dove species -- the Eurasian collared dove and the ringed turtle dove, neither of which are native to North America. Eurasian collared doves in particular have increased their range and numbers in recent years. This regulation will allow unlimited harvest of these species during specified seasons.

The Eurasian collared dove was first documented at Goodland in 1997. Numbers of collared doves observed on the statewide Christmas Bird Count have increased from 14 in 1998 to more than 3,000 in 2007. Collared doves have been reported in all 105 Kansas counties. There isn’t data yet to indicate what impact these non-native birds could have on native species, but they are neither migratory or regulated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Therefore, the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks can establish regulations for hunting these species without federal guidelines.

[Dutch]

They might be doves but they sure have the body of a pidgeon. There would be a lot of liver tasting meat on one of those bad boys.

[DoveTail]

I say pigeon because they are missing the ring on the neck. If they had the collar, then I would say Eurasian Collared Dove. The Eurasian dove are pretty calm, not as wild as mourning doves or other doves. Their wing beat has a longer pauses and glides in it compared to a mourning dove. Very easy to identify in flight.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_Collared_Dove

The nose is different on this pair of birds and the wings are also of a different color.

[Trevor K]

yeah, I do a lot of birding and I would call those pigeons

[fishinwrench]

So is it a male/female pair... one of them tended to lead the way and the other followed. Neither were the least bit spooked by me, almost as if they were looking for a hand-out.

By the way...how'bout that Smallie?

[taxidermist]

Eurasian dove and some do have the ring, mostly male, females don't have the ring or so that what the bird bioligist says and the conrell bird dvd.

[Tightline]

Those look like Pigeons to me,mainly because of the knot on their beaks. But Collared Doves may have that also.

[DoveTail]

The nose is different on this pair of birds and the wings are also of a different color.

Those look like Pigeons to me,mainly because of the knot on their beaks. But Collared Doves may have that also.

The beak is why they are not doves. Colors can vary in different regions of the US or world. There is a possibility they have crossed with some pigeons, but then they would not be a pure dove. The Eurasain doves are the size of pigeons and very gentle. There is no season or bag limits either.

At least all the Eurasian Collared doves I have seen do not have those traits.

[Chief Grey Bear]

These are pigeons. The body and knot on the beak confirms that. Now in many bird books pigeons are also called Rock Doves. I have also seen them called Rock Pigeons. Others just call them pigeons. Whatever you want to call them, they do come in many different color combinations due to many centuries of captive breeding.

I used to rabbit hunt on an old man that had fainting pigeons. They would fly up in to the air and them tumble towards the ground only to come to and do it again. Really fun to watch.

Most of the brown pairs that like the ones pictured here, that I have observed, have had some white in them too.