IBRC 7-B-10

IDAHO BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE
RARE BIRD REPORT FORM

SPECIES: Eurasian Collared-Dove
HOW MANY: 6

REPORTER: Shirley Sturts 4887 E. Fernan Lake Road Coeur d'Alene, ID 83814
REPORTER EMAIL: shirley.sturts@gmail.com
OTHER OBSERVERS: Theresa Potts 4103 Arrowjhead Road Coeur d'Alene, ID 83815 tdpot@webtv.net

DATE REPORT PREPARED: January 14, 2010
DATE SIGHTING OCCURRED: December 19, 2009

LOCALITY OF OBSERVATION: Rathdrum Prairie - junction of Idaho and Hayden Avenue - Kootenai County
HABITAT: Farm
CONDITIONS: During the CDA CBC. Cloudy light rain 40 F 1/2 inch snow in places 10 X 40 Zeiss 5 were on the ground about 20 yards from us and 1 was sitting on a telephone wire down the road from the 5 on the ground

DID YOU TAKE NOTES?: No, not at all
DID YOU CONSULT FIELD GUIDE OR OTHER REFERENCES?: Yes, during the observation
WHAT GUIDE(S) OR REFERENCE(S) DID YOU CONSULT?: Sibley

DESCRIPTION: They were pale gray overall with a black collar on the back of the neck. They had square tails and dark gray primaries. Five were on the ground and we couldn't see the undertail coverts. The one above us on the wire had gray coverts and the dark outer web.
BEHAVIOR: No other birds were around. The 5 on the ground were moving around feeding. The one on the wire did not fly.

HOW AND WHEN DID YOU POSITIVELY IDENTIFY THE BIRD, AND WHAT CLINCHED THE IDENTIFICATION FOR YOU? Doug Ward first discovered Eurasian Collared-Dove on Rathdrum Prairie in 2007 and since the spring of 2009 he has been seeing them regularly on his way to work. We were hoping to be able to add them to the CBC. As soon as I saw the the black collar, square tail and the dark primaries I knew what they were.
HOW DID YOU ELIMINATE SIMILAR SPECIES, AND WHAT WERE THEY? The only other dove that has a black collar is the Ringed Turtle-Dove. The Ringed-Turtle Dove is usally lighter overall and has lighter primaries. Also the undertail coverts are white and they have a white outer web.

EXPERIENCE WITH THIS SPECIES (AND SIMILAR SPECIES): My lifelist Eurasian Collared-Dove was in Miami, Florida, Novmber of 2000. These are my first I've seen since that time. Sometime before Doug found the ones on Rathdrum Prairie, I was called to the home of a fellow birder to see a possible Eurasian Collared-Dove at her feeder. It turned out to be a Ringed Turtle-Dove. When we discovered it was tame and knew they didn't do not do well in the wild, we easily captured it and took it to the local pet store where it joined other Ringed-Turtle Doves.
GENERAL BIRDING EXPERIENCE: I've been birding since 1965. Expertise - advanced.

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