Feather Identifier app iconFeather Identifier
Eurasian Collared-Dove (also known as Eurasian Collared Dove or Collared Dove)
Contour feather (body covert feather from the breast or underparts)

Eurasian Collared-Dove (also known as Eurasian Collared Dove or Collared Dove)

Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Chordata, Class: Aves, Order: Columbiformes, Family: Columbidae, Genus: Streptopelia, Species: S. decaocto

Family: Columbidae (Doves and Pigeons)

Shape
Symmetrical vane with a broadly rounded tip and a soft, ovate outline.
Size
Approximately 1.5 to 2 inches long, consistent with a medium-sized dove body covert.
Rarity
Very Common
Learn more about Eurasian Collared-Dove (also known as Eurasian Collared Dove or Collared Dove) in the encyclopedia →

Found a feather like this?

Identify any feather from a photo, free.

Identify a feather

Description

A soft, delicate grey body feather from a medium-sized dove. The Eurasian Collared-Dove is a slender, sandy-grey bird with a distinctive black half-collar on the back of its neck, a long rounded tail, and a characteristic cooing vocalization.

Colour & Pattern

Uniform soft pale grey or silvery-dove-grey coloration with a slightly lighter, whitish base. Melanin-based pigmentation gives a gentle, matte grey hue.

Barb Structure

Pennaceous at the upper distal tip transitioning quickly into a looser, plumulaceous (fluffy) base with soft barbs and no prominent afterfeather.

Texture & Surface

Soft, silky, and slightly powdery to the touch, lacking the rigid stiffness of flight feathers.

Key Features

Uniform pale grey color, soft texture with a fluffy base, and rounded contour shape typical of a columbid breast feather.

Habitat

Open country, agricultural lands, urban and suburban areas, parks, and farmyards.

Geographic Range

Native to warmer temperate and subtropical Asia, expanding rapidly and now widely established across most of North America, Europe, and parts of the Caribbean.

Ecological Role

Acts primarily as a granivore, feeding on seeds and waste grain, and serves as prey for various raptor species in suburban and agricultural landscapes.

Similar Species

Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura), which tends to be slightly more brownish-buff with darker spotting compared to the uniform grey of the Eurasian Collared-Dove.

Interesting Facts

The Eurasian Collared-Dove has one of the most remarkable natural expansion records of any bird, spreading from the Middle East across Europe and eventually colonizing North America after being introduced to the Bahamas in the 1970s.

Condition Notes

Good condition, clean, with intact barbs and no significant fraying or sun bleaching.